LifeCare Alliance is proud to be in partnership with Disabled American Veterans as they provide grants to help fund our Help-at-Home program.
Help-at-Home provides personal care assistants and direct support care workers who assist with daily living activities such as bathing, fall prevention, and basic household chores. Living independently and safely in the comfort of one’s own home is a great source of joy in an older adult’s life. Help-at-Home ensures ill, elderly, and disabled individuals have adequate, clean, and safe housing. Last year alone, the program served 102 veterans in the central Ohio area.
The Disabled Americans Veterans Charitable Service Trust (DAV) has been serving veterans in America since 1920, and even has its origins in Ohio! The nonprofit was first organized by Judge Robert Marx of Cincinnati as the Disabled American Veteran of the World War (DAVWW). After the devastation that took place during World War I, Judge Marx and other organizers noticed veterans were not getting adequate care. They started the DAVWW locally, and then formed the national organization in 1921 with the purpose of “building better lives for all of our Nation’s disabled veterans and their families.”
Almost one hundred years later, the DAV continues its mission of serving veterans in need of assistance.
As a result of support from the DAV Charitable Service Trust, Help-at-Home has been able to provide continuous, ongoing services to veterans needing assistance with personal care and daily living activities. If veterans are injured or have disabilities, it is crucial to provide this safety net service which allows them to remain in their homes. Homemakers also provide a critical daily visit to these individuals, which serves as a health and well-being check-in to ensure that all of the client’s needs are met. Typically, these homebound individuals would be socially isolated if not for these visits.
Many Help-at-Home clients also receive a daily nutritional meal and visit through Meals-on-Wheels, but need additional services like the ones provided by Help-at-Home in order to continue to live a vibrant life. For example, an individual who requires a walker for mobility can get around enough to live on their own, but lack the ability to clean their bathroom efficiently without the possibility of falling. A clean living environment is vital to keeping clients healthy and safe in their own home.
Without funding partners like the DAV, LifeCare Alliance would not be able to serve our veteran neighbors with responsive, compassionate, and quality care. Thank you to the DAV for your steadfast commitment to build and strengthen the lives of our nation’s veterans!
Judge Robert Marx
For over 150 years, The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company has been contributing to the success of central Ohio’s gardens.
Recently, LifeCare Alliance was awarded garden product from this stalwart of the community in the form of:
- 75 bags of Garden Soil
- 25 bags of Topsoil
- 15 bags of Mulch
- 35 bags of Plant Food
- 20 bags of Hummus & Manure.
Using these products in gardens located at 1699 W. Mound St. and 670 Harmon Ave. has allowed LifeCare Alliance to cultivate a number of herbs and fresh vegetables for use in our flagship dining center, Carrie’s Café, and for the Agency’s social enterprise, L.A. Catering.
For the 2019 growing season, a volunteer tends the Mound Street and Harmon Avenue gardens. Mr. Lynch has volunteered with LifeCare Alliance’s Meals-on-Wheels program since November of 2013. Through this work, he visits elderly and homebound clients to deliver hot, nutritious meals, as well as to provide a basic wellness check. His contribution has truly helped Nourish the Human Spirit as he has devoted countless hours to the success of our gardens this growing season.
LifeCare Alliance Chef Rob Harrison and Catering Director David Imwalle estimate that the gardens have produced about 80 pounds of tomatoes thus far this season, and they are still yielding additional fruit. The Mound Street garden has also produced Brussels sprouts, carrots, scallions, and tarragon, while the Harmon Avenue garden has produced at least one pound each of parsley, cilantro, sage, basil, oregano, jalapenos, and banana peppers.
At Carrie’s Café, the herbs are used to season soups and daily entrees since fresh herbs are often more flavorful than dried. The tomatoes are added to the daily selection of salads. Clients enjoy knowing they are eating produce that was just harvested from the gardens on LifeCare Alliance property. It adds a lot to their experience of dining at Carrie’s. L.A. Catering features the tomatoes on platters of fresh vegetables, in salads, and for stir frys. All proceeds of both entities are funneled back into the Agency to continue serving clients with our core values of compassion, accountability, respect, excellence, and sustainability at the forefront.
The overall benefit of the garden project to the community has been the ability of LifeCare Alliance to continue providing healthy, delicious meals to its clients. The health and nutrition services that LifeCare Alliance provides directly contribute to an individual’s ability to remain safe and independent in the comfort of their own home. AARP estimates that Ohio taxpayers fund nursing home care at an average annual cost of $78,840 per person. By serving these same individuals at home for a fraction of that cost, LifeCare Alliance saves taxpayers money while serving the community. When individuals receive the appropriate nutrition levels and regular health assessments, potentially debilitating and costly health outcomes are prevented.
Garden product support from The ScottsMiracle-Gro Company allowed the Agency to continue to serve all clients in need, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay, while operating without a waiting list for services. By providing its own stream of revenue through social enterprise, LifeCare Alliance is securing sustainable funding for all of its programs for years to come. Thank you, ScottsMiracle-Gro!
LifeCare Alliance, with the help of a grant from Meals on Wheels America and Team Depot, helped a local veteran with home repairs that improved safety hazards and helped avoid costly city code enforcement violations.
Richard is an Army veteran who spent two years in Korea in 1970-71. His home was in need of repairs to the front concrete steps, as well as missing gutters and fascia boards.
“The repair that was completed by LifeCare Alliance and Home Depot changed my life tremendously because I did not have the finances to fix the home nor did I have the finances to pay the code violation fine,” Richard said. “I just wanted to add that the contractors did fantastic job and I really appreciate all that you were able to do for me to get me out of the hole.”
LifeCare Alliance has worked with the City of Columbus Code Enforcement Department to help veterans with repairs to avoid going to court over code violations. Code enforcement often will grant some leniency when LifeCare Alliance is involved in veterans’ repairs, knowing that the Agency will be providing assistance.
“I am very proud to see that we live in a city that takes great pride and helping our residents instead of penalizing the underserved,” said Maurice Elder, who administers the Chores program for LifeCare Alliance. “This partnership has been great, to ensure the safety of our residents in the community who proudly served our country.”
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Have you ever wondered about the different ways you or your organization can support the Meals-on-Wheels program at LifeCare Alliance? Sure, there are the common ways of volunteering or sending in a donation, but could there be more?
Big Lots recently found an answer to that question. The well-known retailer already gives generously to LifeCare Alliance’s Meals-on-Wheels program through its charitable arm, the Big Lots Foundation, and has an active volunteer base with its employees. However, Big Lots recently came up with a new way to celebrate the clients on its corporate Meals-on-Wheels route: a Fall Fiesta!!
This October, Big Lots plans to serve tacos, margaritas, and cookies from L.A. Catering to their route clients and friends at a local senior living center. The fiesta will be filled with music, games, and possibly salsa lessons!
Why are we excited about this? It is because acts of kindness like the Fall Fiesta truly mean the world to our clients. Many of LifeCare Alliance’s Meals-on-Wheels recipients are homebound, isolated, have a medical condition, and/or live on an annual income of less than $20,000. In addition, older adults and medically challenged individuals are at a high risk of health and nutritional problems due to physical, mobility, medical, and support system limitations.
Fortunately, there are supporters like Big Lots who go above and beyond to show clients of Meals-on-Wheels and other LifeCare Alliance programs that they care. Through these efforts, LifeCare Alliance is able to help older adult clients stay safe, independent, and engage more with life.
Learn More
Find out more about the Big Lots Foundation here: https://www.biglots.com/corporate/community.
Want to know more about how you can support LifeCare Alliance’s Meals-on-Wheels programs? Click here or call 614-278-3130.
Need to book catering for your wedding or next corporate or social event? Click here or call 614-358-LALA.
“According to the 2015 Meals on Wheels America survey 'More Than A Meal,' 87% of seniors needing home-delivered meals are physically unable to shop for their groceries. It is often the case that, besides a caregiver, the Meals-on-Wheels deliverer is the only person that a client might interact with every day of the week.”
Thank you for nominating an outstanding volunteer for the Spirit Awards! Volunteers are essential to the success of LifeCare Alliance in our community, so it is important to recognize the wonderful work they do.
Please use the form below to submit your nomination. We want to know the LifeCare Alliance program that benefits from your nominee’s work, as well as the reasons your nominee stands out from all the rest.
Please visit LifeCare Alliance’s website and social media for information about volunteer recognition events as details are finalized. If you are interested in attending, please be sure to indicate so on the form below. Thank you!
LifeCare Alliance is pleased to announce that our longtime partner American Electric Power has been chosen for The Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service.
AEP has been one of LifeCare Alliance’s foremost supporters for more than a decade. LifeCare Alliance proudly nominated AEP because of the company’s many financial contributions as well as the all-important boots on the ground that help expand our reach to tens of thousands of clients each year.
In 2017, LifeCare Alliance accepted its largest-ever single gift — a $1 million contribution from the American Electric Power Foundation. Charles Gehring, the president and CEO of LifeCare Alliance, called the gift “transformational” for the Agency. He said the money would be used to purchase a new Meals-on-Wheels delivery van each year for four years, as well as to provide support for the health and nutrition programs that keep central Ohio seniors and people with medical challenges safe, independent, and living in their own homes — where they want to be.
Employees of AEP have hosted donation drives to support clients of our Help-at-Home program, the Columbus Cancer Clinic, holiday Adopt-a-Family campaigns, and our Senior PetCare program — which helps seniors care for their beloved pets by providing food, supplies, and veterinary care.
Perhaps most importantly, American Electric Power has been a significant and reliable source of volunteer manpower for LifeCare Alliance. Groups of employees regularly visit our meal distribution center to volunteer in our Groceries-to-Go Pantry for people fighting cancer and HIV/AIDS, to serve meals at our Senior Dining Center, and to pack and sort food items for Meals-on-Wheels and Senior PetCare. Through our Corporate Adopt-a-Route program, nearly 100 AEP employees share the responsibility of delivering daily Meals-on-Wheels routes, donating their lunch hour to visit people in need every day, delivering a meal, a friendly smile, and a basic wellness check for thousands of homebound central Ohioans.
AEP is in its 13th year of participation in the Corporate Adopt-a-Route program and has delivered more than 100,000 meals.
AEP will be honored with The Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service during a ceremony hosted by Smart Business Magazine on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. For more information about this event, click here or contact Molly Carpenter of Smart Business Magazine at 440-250-7039 or mcarpenter@sbonline.com.
Exciting news!
For the eleventh year running, the Meals on Wheels network — including LifeCare Alliance — is participating in the Subaru Share the Love® Event. Over the past ten years, Subaru and its retailers have helped Meals on Wheels deliver nearly 2 million meals nationwide to seniors in need.
Why does Subaru support Meals on Wheels? Too many seniors are struggling to stay independent and healthy. One in four seniors lives alone in isolation and one in seven seniors might not know from where their next meal is coming. This is simply unacceptable, which is why LifeCare Alliance provides the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks to our homebound friends and neighbors in central Ohio. This vital support keeps seniors in their own homes, where they want to be.
We’re incredibly grateful to Subaru and its retailers for supporting our organization and the seniors we serve. With that in mind, we thought you might want to learn a little bit more about the Subaru Share the Love® Event.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS
This November 15, 2018, through January 2, 2019, for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased, Subaru will donate $250 to the customer’s choice of participating charities.* Meals on Wheels is one of four national participating charities and has been since the inception of the event. Through this event, as a member of Meals on Wheels America, LifeCare Alliance will receive a share of the donation from Subaru vehicles sold in Ohio.
You might not be in the market to purchase a new car, but if you are, please look into the Subaru Share the Love® Event to learn more. If you’re not shopping for a new vehicle, you can still help by spreading the word to your family and friends. A few quick and easy ways to do that:
- Share this blog post!
- Share our posts about Share the Love® on Facebook. You can also do this on Twitter (@LifeCareAllianc) or Instagram (@lifecarealliance).
And remember: this holiday season you can ensure our senior neighbors are not forgotten, when you buy or lease a new Subaru and select Meals on Wheels as your charity of choice.
*Disclaimer: Subaru will donate $250 for every new Subaru vehicle sold or leased from November 15, 2018, through January 2, 2019, to four national charities designated by the purchaser or lessee. Pre-approved Hometown Charities may be selected for donation depending on retailer participation. Certain participating retailers may make an additional donation to the Hometown Charities selected. Purchasers/lessees must make their charity designations by January 31, 2019. The four national charities will receive a guaranteed minimum donation of $250,000 each. See your local Subaru retailer for details or visit subaru.com/share. All donations made by Subaru of America, Inc.
LifeCare Alliance handed out more than 20 awards on Monday, April 1, 2018, at the annual Volunteer Recognition ceremony for outstanding Franklin County volunteers.
The Spirit Award presentation is a time to celebrate and recognize the dedication, commitment, and achievements of volunteers who give their time to our older adult citizens so they can remain independent in their homes.
This event, which honored the contributions of volunteers the previous year, was live-streamed on Facebook Live. To watch the ceremony, click here to access the video on LifeCare Alliance’s Facebook page.
The 2017 Spirit Award recipients are:
- American Electric Power, Corporate Leadership Spirit Award
- Dr. Akua Amponsah, Help-at-Home Spirit Award
- Natalie Artz, Youth Leadership Spirit Award
- Jack DeBarr & Joseph Seifert, The Harriette Goodspeed Spirit Award
- Kellie DuPont & Family, Future LifeCare Alliance Leader Spirit Award
- Quentin Feng, Corporate Meals-on-Wheels Route Coordinator Spirit Award
- Michelle Ford, Groceries to Go Spirit Award
- Penny Henry, Catherine Gillie Spirit Award
- Joan Hess, Farmer’s Market Spirit Award
- Kelly Hollis, Outstanding Spirit Award
- Huntington National Bank, Corporate Meals-on-Wheels Route Spirit Award
- Ali Iovino, Food Production Spirit Award
- Jackie Jacobs, Lifetime Achievement Award
- Cherie Luckoff, Pet Care Spirit Award
- John McHugh, Advancement Spirit Award
- Everett Meidell, John Nilssen Memorial Spirit Award
- Nationwide, Community Service Spirit Award
- Nationwide PAWS, Pet Care Corporate Spirit Award
- Ohio Dominican University, Meals-on-Wheels School Spirit Award
- Thomas & Angela Stephens, The Samuel L. Black Volunteer Spirit Award
- Temple Beth Shalom, The Frank Stoddard Raper Spirit Award
- Wednesday Hump Leagues, POHC Philanthropic Spirit Award
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities for LifeCare Alliance, please call 614-444-MEAL (6325) or visit www.lifecarealliance.org to learn more.
LifeCare Alliance recognized the 2017 Spirit Award Volunteers in Champaign, Logan, and Marion counties in April.
Each year, LifeCare Alliance conducts a series of Spirit Award ceremonies to recognize outstanding volunteers for their service and dedication to homebound older adults and medically challenged and disabled neighbors in our communities.
The Spirit Award presentation is a time to celebrate and recognize the dedication, commitment, and achievements of volunteers who give their time to our older adult citizens so they can remain independent in their homes. The 2017 Spirit Award recipients are:
Champaign County
- St. Paris Dining Center, 2017 Champaign County Community Partner Spirit Award
- Barbara Kunze, 2017 Champaign County Meals-on-Wheels Spirit Award
- Person Centered Services, 2017 Champaign County Corporate Meals-on-Wheels Spirit Award
- Cherry Arbors, 2017 Champaign County Dining Center Spirit Award
- Char’s Market and Kitchen, 2017 Champaign County Meals-on-Wheels Leader Spirit Award
- The Champaign County Memorial Foundation, 2017 Champaign County Champion Spirit Award
Logan County
- Lisa Davidson, 2017 Logan County Corporate Meals-On-Wheels Route Coordinator Award
- West Liberty First Church of God, 2017 Logan County Dining Center Spirit Award
- Indian Lake High School, 2017 Logan County MOW School Spirit Award
- RTC Industries, 2017 Logan County Meals-on-Wheels Corporate Spirit Award
- Deborah Emerick, 2017 Logan County Community Service Spirit Award
- Wayne Wells, 2017 Logan County Meals-on-Wheels Spirit Award
Marion County
- Dave Claborn, 2017 Marion County Champion Spirit Award
- Marion Technical College, 2017 Corporate Meals-on-Wheels Spirit Award
- Sherry Mentor and Inez Tackett, 2017 Marion County Dining Center Award
- Gary Robinson, 2017 Marion County Meals-on-Wheels Spirit Award
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities for LifeCare Alliance, please call 614-444-MEAL (6325) or visit www.lifecarealliance.org to learn more.
LifeCare Alliance welcomed about 20 local elected officials to participate in Meals-on-Wheels Community Champions Week.
Officials from Franklin, Marion, Logan, Madison and Champaign counties delivered Meals-on-Wheels, visiting members of their communities who are homebound and are unable to prepare their own meals.
We’d like to thank the following officials who participated with this effort.
- Grove City Mayor Ike Stage
- Dublin Mayor Greg Peterson
- State of Ohio Auditor Dave Yost
- Hilliard Mayor Don Schonhardt
- State Sen. Stephanie Kunze
- Joe Gilligan from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office
- Marion Mayor Scott Schertzer
- Erik McCarley and Trenton Weaver from U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty’s office
- Columbus City Councilmember Jaiza Page
- Whitehall Mayor Kim Maggard
- Marion Police Chief Bill Collins and Chief Deputy Aaron Corwin
- Urbancrest Mayor Joseph L. Barnes
- State Rep. Hearcel Craig
- Champaign County Transit Manager Gary Ledford
- Champaign County Treasurer Robin Edwards
- London Police Chief Glenn A Nicol
- London Mayor Patrick Closser
- State Sen. Bob Hackett
- Madison County Commissioner David Hunter
- Columbus City Councilmember Michael Stinziano
Community Champions Week is part of nationwide effort to give businesses, organizations, governments, and volunteers an opportunity to support homebound seniors in a variety of ways to make America stronger and healthier.
Meals-on-Wheels is especially important to the Columbus community because it allows older adults and chronically ill persons the chance to stay in the comfort of their own homes by delivering meals to them 365 days a year. This allows our clients and their loved ones to have the peace of mind that someone is checking in on them daily while providing food and socialization.
Many of our clients were excited to have the unique experience of having one of these elected officials visit with them and deliver their meals during the March for Meals Community Champions week!
ABOVE: Whitehall Mayor Kim Maggard, right, visits LifeCare Alliance client Retha Sutherland while delivering a meal Friday, March 23, 2018, in Whitehall, Ohio. Maggard was among the more than 20 central Ohio elected officials participating in Meals-on-Wheels Community Champions Week. (Photo by Sky Sharma/LifeCare Alliance)
Each year, we take the time to thank our outstanding volunteers who embody our motto of “Nourishing the Human Spirit.”
Our volunteer base is the heart of LifeCare Alliance, and the work that volunteers do is so valuable to our Agency and our clients alike. More than 100 volunteers are needed every single day to deliver Meals-on-Wheels, run errands, assist with light housekeeping tasks, assist at a Senior Dining or Wellness Center, serve on a board, make favors for our clients, or help in the office.
Volunteers come together as individuals, corporations, families, and groups with the energy and enthusiasm needed to carry out the mission of LifeCare Alliance. Because of the volunteer base, LifeCare Alliance is able to continue serving clients without a waiting list, keeping homebound older adults and individuals with a medical challenge or disability safe, independent, and in their own homes — where they want to be!
Below is information on the locations, dates and times of recognition events throughout our service area. Please join us!
LifeCare Alliance Recognition
Monday, April 30, 2018 — 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
L.A. Catering Event Center, 670 Harmon Ave. Columbus, OH 43223
Columbus Cancer Clinic
Monday, April 16, 2018 — 11:00 – 1:00 p.m.
L.A. Catering Event Center, 670 Harmon Ave. Columbus, OH 43223
Logan County Recognition
Tuesday, April 24, 2018 — 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Hilliker YMCA, 300 Sloan Blvd. Bellefontaine, OH 43311
Champaign County Recognition
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 — 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Champaign County Library, 1060 Scioto Street Urbana, OH 43078
Marion County Recognition
Thursday, April 19, 2018 — 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Marion Senior Center, 2375 Harding Hwy E, Marion, OH 43302
Dining Center Recognition
Monday, April 30, 2018 — 11:00 – 1:00 p.m.
L.A. Catering Event Center, 670 Harmon Ave. Columbus, OH 43223
Madison County Recognition
Wednesday, May 9, 2018 — 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Madison County Senior Center, 280 W High St, London, OH 43140
ABOVE: LifeCare Alliance CEO Chuck Gehring, left, presents the 2017 Catherine Nelson Black Philanthropic Spirit Award to Tom Long, JD, a long-time supporter of the Columbus Cancer Clinic.
At Big Wheels 2018, LifeCare Alliance announced a $5 Million Match Campaign to secure the future, by building its Legacy Endowment.
The Legacy Endowment Campaign is designed to meet existing and future needs of LifeCare Alliance for decades to come.
An anonymous donor has generously committed to matching the first $5 million in Endowment gifts, beginning in 2018. The donation comes during a momentous occasion for LifeCare Alliance as the Agency celebrates its 120th anniversary.
This Campaign creates an opportunity for individuals and families impacted by the work of LifeCare Alliance to express their stewardship and leave their legacies in concrete and meaningful ways.
If you are interested in learning more about the Legacy Endowment Campaign or how you can become a member of the Catherine Nelson Black Society, please contact Chuck Gehring, President and CEO at 614-437-2801 or Rebecca Hurd, Director of Advancement at 614-437-2867.
