Giving Tuesday Impact Series: Partners in Independence

Nov 16

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As part of our Giving Tuesday Impact series this year, you've read about a couple of ways that H.O.M.E. makes a difference in the lives of seniors every day.

Today, we celebrate National Philanthropy day. We can't do what we do without your support. While our foundation partners support our work in a big way, our individual donors show their commitment to making a difference in the lives of seniors year after year through annual contributions. Some have gone even further to join Partners in Independence--H.O.ME.'s monthly giving program.

Meet Rob, a member of Partners in Independence:

Rob is the Director of Program and Community Support at AgeOptions and serves on the Board of Northside Community Resources. He and his wife care for Athena, a 16 year old Australian Shepherd who has to be carried up their 3-story walk up.

Rob heard about H.O.M.E. when he was working at Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly and referred some of his clients to our moving and residential programs.

He was particularly enamored by the intergenerational aspect of our housing services, where younger adults and families live in our senior buildings so that people of all generations build and maintain a community.

One of his earliest memories of interacting with H.O.M.E. was when one of his clients, Liz, moved into Nathalie Salmon House, "The moving services were awesome! It wasn't something that anyone else was doing. If it weren't for H.O.M.E., I knew I'd have to scramble to figure out how to help our seniors."

Rob was also impressed by how caring and efficient H.O.M.E.'s staff is, "H.O.M.E. provides good, tangible services with a warm heart...There aren't many organizations doing intergenerational, affordable programming."

When one of H.O.M.E.'s Board Members, Kate, asked Rob to attend our Annual Celebration Dinner as her guest, he came. That evening, he signed up to be a monthly donor and became a Partner in Independence. When asked why he chose to give monthly rather than a single gift, he said, "It's a low hassle way to give, and it means that H.O.M.E. has a predictable income each month."

Automatic monthly payments mean more of each donation goes to making an impact. Monthly giving is also secure and flexible. Donors choose the amount they wish to give each month and can change, or cancel, their pledge at any time.

Out of all the organizations that do good in Chicago, why did Rob choose H.O.M.E.?

"H.O.M.E. is a special nonprofit--it's a unique Chicago institution. If serving low-income seniors is a priority for you, there's no other or better place to give or volunteer."

Thank you, Rob, for your commitment to seniors in the Chicago area!

Join Rob as a Partner in Independence this Giving Tuesday.

Pledge to give to H.O.M.E. on the biggest day of the year dedicated to giving back, and continue to make a difference all year long. Pledge to disrupt the "normal" aging story. Check out this video to see how your donation will make a difference:

Becoming a member is simple. Join online at www.homeseniors.org/donate.html by simply indicating that you want to make your donation a monthly gift. As a member, you will get monthly email updates and biannual reports in the mail, so that you know what impact your gifts have on seniors. Your monthly gift is not only convenient for you, it will make an ongoing difference for seniors.

Little things add up. For the cost of a lunch or night out at the movies, you will know you are helping change the lives of seniors every month:

$10 a month: Fuels the shopping bus to make 60 individual trips to the grocery store
$25 a month: Provides 24 meals for 20 seniors
$50 a month: Makes 12 emergency home repairs in senior homes
$75 a month: Keeps 15 seniors engaged in the community through monthly outings
$100 a month: Provides boxes for 30 seniors to assist in their moves

This year H.O.M.E. is hosting a Pajama Gala on Tuesday, December 1, 2015 to celebrate Giving Tuesday and make a big impact for seniors in 2016. Follow us on Facebook for updates, and RSVP to the event to find out more about how you can participate from your own home!

To find out more about H.O.M.E. and to provide support to low-income seniors, please visit our website.

This post is part of our series to celebrate Giving Tuesday, which will take place this year on December 1, 2015. The idea behind #GivingTuesday is to kickoff the holiday-giving season, in the same way that Black Friday and Cyber Monday kickoff the holiday-shopping season.

Do you want updates and tips in your inbox every week? Remember to subscribe to Senior Moments from H.O.M.E.

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