Bridge Meadows of Portland Selected as Winner of the Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence
Portland, OR (PRWEB) October 13, 2014 -- This month, Bridge Meadows of Portland, Oregon will receive one of two Eisner Prizes for Intergenerational Excellence, as presented by The Eisner Foundation of Los Angeles, California. The Eisner Prize is a national award that recognizes an individual or a non-profit organization for efforts to unite multiple generations – especially seniors and youth – and bring about positive, lasting changes in their communities. The Prizes will be awarded at the Encore.org National Conference in Tempe, Arizona on October 29, 2014. The other recipient in 2014 is the Intergenerational Schools of Cleveland, Ohio. Both organizations will receive $100,000.
“It is our honor and privilege to present this year’s Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence to Bridge Meadows,” said Michael Eisner. “The Prizes allow us to honor organizations that share our mission nationwide, with the hope that the good work being done can be replicated in Southern California. Bridge Meadows is doing a remarkable job of bringing together people of multiple generations for the betterment of all involved. We thank them for their efforts to make their community a better place to live, especially for vulnerable children and elders.”
The Eisner Foundation is honoring Bridge Meadows for “Innovation in Intergenerational Solutions.” Bridge Meadows is a unique multi-generational community (located in the Portsmouth neighborhood of North Portland, OR) where adoptive parents, foster children, and low-income elders –those over 55 – find a true home built with love and the shared vision of a better tomorrow.
“We are extremely honored and quite humbled to be awarded The Eisner Prize,” said Dr. Derenda Schubert, Executive Director of Bridge Meadows. “It is a privilege to see firsthand the impact of the Bridge Meadows community in the lives of our residents in just three short years – our former foster youth are reaching & exceeding their personal and academic potential, families are interrupting the cycle of generational poverty and all three generations are demonstrating improved interpersonal connectedness, improved health and wellness. We feel a grand sense of urgency in this work and believe that this prestigious prize from The Eisner Foundation will raise the national exposure to the power of permanence, place and purpose in ways we could never have achieved on our own.”
Bridge Meadows is an innovative solution at the intersection of child welfare, aging and affordable housing – issues that impact everyone, and not just socially and emotionally, but economically as well. They strive to ensure that current and former foster youth have the stability, caring connections, and educational support they need to succeed and re-calibrate the trajectory of their lives. Bridge Meadows believes that investing in the safety and security of these children today improves the quality of life for everyone tomorrow. Bridge Meadows cultivates permanence and family resilience through safe and stable housing, integrated onsite support services and therapeutic interventions. When children have a place they call home and meaningful relationships with caring adults, education and health outcomes improve. When youth, families and elders trust and feel connected to other community members with a range of skills and expertise, each group feels more confident in their ability to solve problems and handle challenges as they arise. Together, the three generations of residents are transforming individual vulnerability into collective strength.
“The Eisner Prize brings the subject of intergenerational programming, and its benefits, into a national conversation,” said Trent Stamp, Executive Director of The Eisner Foundation. “Highlighting programs across the country that bring seniors and youth together to enhance their communities is an important component of what The Eisner Foundation does. These two organizations are true leaders in this field, and we’re proud to find a way to honor and celebrate their innovative commitments to children and seniors.”
About The Eisner Foundation
Founded in 1996 by Michael and Jane Eisner and their family, The Eisner Foundation exists to provide access and opportunity for children and the aging in Los Angeles County. The Foundation gives philanthropic support and counsel to exceptionally-run non-profit organizations working to create lasting positive changes in the lives of at-risk and disadvantaged seniors and children in the Los Angeles community. By making grants of over $7 million annually, the goal of The Eisner Foundation is simply to help Los Angeles be a place that protects and nurtures the region's most vulnerable citizens. To learn more about The Eisner Foundation, please visit the organization’s website at http://www.eisnerfoundation.org, as well as https://www.facebook.com/EisnerFoundation, https://twitter.com/EisnerFound, http://www.youtube.com/user/TheEisnerFoundation, and http://www.linkedin.com/company/the-eisner-foundation.
About Bridge Meadows
Bridge Meadows is a unique multi-generational community (located in the Portsmouth neighborhood of North Portland, OR) where adoptive parents, foster children, and low-income elders –those over 55 – find a true home built with love and the shared vision of a better tomorrow. Children move from the instability of foster care placements to permanent homes and families. Adoptive families receive essential resources and guidance, and low-income elders each volunteer 100 hours/quarter in service to the community. To learn more, visit http://www.bridgemeadows.org.
Contacts:
Lani Faith, Resource Development Director
Bridge Meadows
lfaith(at)bridgemeadows(dot)org
503-953-1100
Trent Stamp, Executive Director
The Eisner Foundation
trent.stamp(at)eisnerfoundation(dot)org
310-228-6808
Trent Stamp, The Eisner Foundation, http://www.eisnerfoundation.org, +1 3102286808, [email protected]
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