The excitement level was high as Impact 100 members gathered at the Oak Harbor Club last Thursday for the seventh annual Impact 100 Annual Meeting, awaiting their chance to vote on which four of the seven finalists would each receive $100,000 transformational grants.
In the end, the Indian River County Medical Society Foundation, Senior Resource Association, Visiting Nurse Association of the Treasure Coast, and Literacy Services of Indian River County went home with the big checks.
The other three finalists – Pelican Island Audubon Society, the Education Foundation of IRC and the Vero Beach Theatre Guild – did not leave empty-handed either. Each received $18,000 thanks to this year’s record 454 members, who contributed $1,000 apiece.
Since its inception, the generous all-woman membership has granted more than $2.5 million to local nonprofits.
Before the finalists made their presentations, outgoing board president Judy Peschio recognized Wilmington Trust, the Indian River Community Foundation and the McCabe Foundation for their continuing support, the Supervisor of Elections and CPAs for assistance with the voting, and the army of volunteers who serve on the board and various committees.
“Our community partners, the organizations who have received one or more $100,000 grants from us, tell us that receiving an Impact grant is like receiving the Good Housekeeping Stamp of Approval. It also helps attract donor dollars, media attention and gives them exposure to all of you,” said Peschio.
The Indian River County Medical Society Foundation will use its grant to renovate dedicated clinic space at the Gifford Health Center for its “We Care” program, a collaborative between the IRC Medical Society, Health Department and Hospital District, through which volunteer physicians provide an average value of $1 million in free medical care to low-income residents.
“It is a system in place for individuals who live in Indian River County to receive health care they would not otherwise be able to access or afford,” said Dr. Nancy Baker, a 10-year program volunteer. “The majority of our patients are the working poor. For many, medical problems cause a catastrophic change in their circumstances. These patients frequently face the risk of medical bankruptcy, the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States.”
Mary Silva, executive director of Literacy Services of Indian River County said the grant will enable the purchase of a successful, nationally recognized program that teaches parents how to navigate and participate in the school system; ultimately improving their child’s academic success.
“We need parents engaged in a child’s education,” said Silva. “A significant number of parents do not have the confidence or wherewithal on how to be engaged with their child or the school system. If we look beyond the fear and the shame, we see the love they have for their child; their desire for their child to succeed.”
The Senior Resource Association will transform its Sebastian Adult Day Care Center in a similar fashion to the Vero Beach Center renovation, thanks to a 2013 Impact grant, improving the space to better handle the needs of seniors with cognitive and/or physical disabilities.
“Our goal is to create a dementia-friendly environment that is truly transformational for clients and their caregivers,” said Karen Deigl, SRA president/CEO. “Your help will allow us to create a space that will allow us to ease anxiety, confusion and the terror of disorientation that is so commonly experienced by those who attend our centers.”
Recognizing that “music as a healing influence is as old as the writings of Aristotle and Plato,” the Visiting Nurse Association will fund a music therapy program to bring comfort to hospice and in-home Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients.
“Music has power. It is a universal language that has the ability to speak louder than words,” said Moreen Burkart, a board-certified music therapist. “When used appropriately, music can actually increase dopamine in the brain; a natural pain inhibitor and muscle relaxer. Music is the one activity we participate in that activates more areas of the brain than anything else we do.”
The Pelican Island Audubon Society sought to fund an after-school, hands-on conservation science program at its new Audubon Center for at-risk children; the Education Foundation to improve the graduation rate of students through the professional development of Algebra 1 teachers, and the Vero Beach Theatre Guild an expansion of its Guild on the Go initiatives to include Cultural Concerts in the Park.