116 Monterey County GIVES! 2024 mcgives.com Health, Wellness & Food DONate online mcgives.com & Hospice offers the VNA Connections Team, providing free professional advice and counseling for patients needing in-home care. This Big Idea amplifies the impact of fellow nonprofits by helping VNA patients and caregivers bridge information gaps so that patients can receive appropriate emotional support, food resources, transportation assistance and other available resources. “VNA Connections is a great program because it allows us to help patients with life-limiting illnesses who have graduated from hospice or palliative care services. Both previous and prospective patients and their families feel very supported with our check-in calls from social workers. Patients and their families typically call VNA Connections social workers when their health conditions change, and they feel they may need nursing services again. Patients also call us when they don’t know what resources are available to them. I enjoy staying connected with my patients and being able to continue providing assistance as needed.” -Joanna D. Dentistry 4 Vets Year Founded: 2018 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 5 paid, 14 volunteers Budget: $677,887 883-9371 dentistry4vets.org Big Idea: Most veterans do not qualify for dental insurance, leaving them with painful or isolating tooth issues that can prevent them from a range of activities, such as seeking employment due to cosmetic issues, or from taking part in meaningful activities due to pain. Dentistry4Vets offers specialized dental care and oral surgery for local veterans, many of whom have long-neglected their teeth. In 2023, this Big Idea provided dental treatments to 781 veterans, ranging from X-rays to root canals and cancer screenings. Dentistry4Vets maintains a waiting list, and donations will help get patients seen. “For many years I lived with the embarrassment of missing, discolored and broken front teeth. As a result, I very seldom smiled and very often I would cover my mouth with my hand as I encountered friends or neighbors. It was the main reason I was chronically unemployed as I did not have the confidence to undergo a job interview. Dentistry4Vets has changed my life. I now have a beautiful smile that I can be proud of and also so very grateful.” -Glenn Owens Equine Healing Collaborative Year Founded: 2015 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 13 paid, 60 volunteers Budget: $740,000 293-4492 equinehealing.org Big Idea: This Big Idea harnesses the unique power of rescued horses (and donkeys!) to provide equine assisted psychotherapy to a wide range of people in need. Equine Healing Collaborative connects licensed therapists and clinical social workers, who are specifically trained in this mode of therapy, with survivors of domestic violence, first responders, refugees and others in need of emotional support. These mental health services range from group and individual therapy to one-day retreats and mini horse outreach programs to schools, libraries and assisted living facilities. “I cannot understate the impact of Therapist Jennifer and the Equine Healing Collaborative in transforming my life. Born in Afghanistan, I was married at the age of 13 and taken to America. Not knowing the language, living in a new country and being subjected to abuse and servitude by my husband, I found myself trapped in a nightmarish reality. Navigating early marriage, divorce, homelessness and caring for my three children was a daunting task. But with Therapist Jennifer’s unwavering support, I found solace, courage and a path to healing. Equine Healing Collaborative has been my safe harbor. I’ve begun to rebuild my life. I’ve found strength, resilience and newfound hope amid the ashes of my past. I owe a debt of gratiCoastal Kids Home Care Year Founded: 2005 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 152 paid, 25 volunteers Budget: $6,000,000 (800) 214-5439 coastalkidshomecare.org Big Idea: The 150-plus employees of Coastal Kids Home Care provide comprehensive, home-based palliative care for children diagnosed with serious illnesses. Pediatric nurses travel to each patient’s home, with more than 300 children receiving nursing visits each year. In addition to a nurse’s care, Coastal Kids provides massage therapists and music therapists to ease pain and offer comfort, as well as social workers to help parents navigate the health care system. This Big Idea helps more than 150 local kids with one-onone mental health counseling and facilitates bereavement groups to support grieving families. “Each time we have gone home from the hospital it feels so scary, but then I feel a comfort in my heart knowing that Coastal Kids will be there again. We have been in and out of the hospital but each time our nurses would go out of their way to text to see how Emma was doing. It makes you feel good to know that you come home to a team who cares for your daughter and that if you need something, they will be there.” -Iliana, mom of Emma, age 3 spotlight “Honestly, food is the basis of everything.” -Teresa S., Food Bank for Monterey County
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==