CHARLOTTE, N.C. (August 7, 2020) — Southminster has received $250,000 of a
$1 million Mecklenburg County Relief Fund to assist local seniors who have been impacted by COVID-19. Leadership at the South Charlotte charitable life plan community will collaborate with a minimum of 10 community partners to fund solutions that address mental health support to seniors and caregivers, training for professionals to enhance social engagement, and technology support to help seniors gain access to information and services.
Southminster will work to award the grants in partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Council on Aging, under the leadership of Mike Taylor, and members from the ad hoc community task force “Serving Seniors During COVID.” The task force spearheaded by Brittany Kearney of PACE of the Southern Piedmont along with District 5 Mecklenburg County Commissioner Susan Harden, has been collecting data to assist in identifying seniors with the greatest needs.
A key focus of the funding is to address social isolation among seniors, an issue exacerbated in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and across the nation as a result of the pandemic. Seniors have experienced significant impacts in accessing transportation, healthy food sources, social programming, faith-based activities, and other services. High rates of infection, morbidity, and mortality have required severe, isolating measures to limit spread among vulnerable seniors, leaving them separated from families, friends, and caregivers. Such isolation can result in reducing mobility, increasing chances for emergency room visits, and decreasing quality of life.
Organizations in Mecklenburg County can find out more by submitting a one-page grant application including budget on the following web page link. Click on GRANT APPLICATION at the end of the article to apply.
Only proposals from organizations in Mecklenburg County will be considered. Grant recipients must agree to submit to Southminster a report detailing how the funds were disbursed no later than December 30, 2020.
Grants from the COVID-19 Relief Fund allocation are an extension of the dedication Southminster has shown in its work on behalf of seniors for over three decades. In addition to providing resident support, Southminster has expanded its philanthropic mission outside its walls to help create and support programs that benefit the greater Charlotte community in the areas of education, creative aging, arts, and healthy communities. To learn more about the full range of Southminster’s philanthropic efforts, please contact Southminster’s Direct of Philanthropy Tracy McGinnis, at tmcginnis@southminster.org.