NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- PSS, a nonprofit agency that has served older New Yorkers and their families city-wide since 1962 (http://www.pssusa.org), announced that it had received $170,000 in grants in the last quarter of 2021 and first quarter of this year from five funders: The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, granting $100,000; The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, providing $40,000; and the Burpee, Patrina and Verizon Foundations, donating $10,000 each.
"Not-for-profits like ours throughout the City and beyond benefit immensely from these grantors, whose generosity helps us go beyond the basics in administering our services. This infusion of funds will help expand our efforts to help our older adults gain critical skills to become more comfortable communicating digitally, and it will provide programs that will enhance their health, as well as provide community-based programming," said PSS Executive Director Rimas Jasin.
Grant funding from Mother Cabrini, Patrina and Verizon will further advance the organization's Digital Capacity Initiative (DCI), designed to increase the ability of the lower income, older New Yorkers PSS serves to use the internet, smart phones, tablets and other personal digital tools. According to Jasin, "DCI, begun in the very early stages of the pandemic, has helped us give our older adults the ongoing life-skills needed to connect better with family and friends, as well as with healthcare providers and essential services. These monies will allow us to hire staff trainers, provide necessary equipment and continue to grow this program, driving better long-term outcomes for them."
The Samuels and Burpee grants address, in very separate ways, the diverse needs of PSS's older populations. The Samuels grant launches a new program, in cooperation with NYC's Department for the Aging (DFTA), through its Community Care Link, and NYC-area insurer Healthfirst, to both support outreach to the City's older adults to stimulate improved engagement with their primary care physician, and better reveal the underlying social and economic factors presenting barriers to care.
Burpee's grant will support creation of a community garden by members at PSS's King Towers Center in Harlem. It will provide hands-on learning about urban gardening, creating an ongoing place for both enjoyment and education.
"Each of these grants will better the quality of life for the older adults impacted by them—whether by communing with nature in a new garden, or in the case of the Samuels funds, getting beyond the basics in healthcare for older New Yorkers and promoting a real dialogue with their primary care providers," said Jasin.
About PSS: Founded by volunteers in 1962 as Presbyterian Senior Services to serve older members in their community, today, PSS is a multi-service nonprofit 501(c)(3) agency whose mission is to strengthen the capacity of older New Yorkers, their families, and communities to thrive. PSS has more than 60 staff and 200 committed volunteers and interns. Operating with a $7+ million annual budget, the organization serves the community through its ten community centers for older adults; through PSS Circle of Care, providing family caregiver and kinship family support programs; through its three residences – including the first one specifically built for grandparents raising children; and through its community education programs, PSS Life!University and Coming of Age, designed to inspire adults 50+ to live with passion and purpose. Website: pssusa.org
About our grantors:
BURPEE FOUNDATION: The Foundation has a focus on horticultural, environmental and educational programs, primarily in New York and New Jersey.
THE FAN FOX AND LESLIE R. SAMUELS FOUNDATION: The mission of the Foundation's Healthy Aging Program is to improve the health care and overall quality of life for New York City's older adults. Our success will be measured by the positive impact that the program has on their lives. The Foundation's Healthy Aging Program aims to improve the way health and social services are delivered by providing support for innovative, effective, efficient and caring organizations
MOTHER CABRINI HEALTH FOUNDATION: The Foundation provides grants to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of diverse communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. It seeks to promote, sponsor, and support activities, programs, and initiatives that enhance access to affordable quality healthcare and healthcare-related services and address the unmet healthcare and healthcare-related needs of communities across New York State.
PATRINA FOUNDATION: The Patrina Foundation has been at the forefront of accessing inequities in our society through a gender lens. Founded in 1990 by Lorinda de Roulet, Patrina supports in-community organizations focused on improving the lives of girls and women in the New York City greater metropolitan area through education, enrichment, job training, and social services supports.
VERIZON: Verizon is dedicated to economic, environmental and social advancement. Verizon supports underserved communities focusing on programs in Digital Inclusion, Climate Protection, and Human Prosperity.
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