February 1, 2023 Newsletter
  • 2023 spring grant applications now open
  • Building a Stronger Family
  • Save the Date: Prenatal & Infant Care Luncheon
  • Meet the board: Maria Krach
  • Now accepting applications for spring 2023 medical interpreter training
  • Mary Tyndall promoted to Communications and Food Programs Director
- Responding to community needs with grants -
Foundation spotlight:
Now accepting 2023 spring grant applications
The St. Joe Foundation is seeking proposals to improve the health and wellness of vulnerable, low-income, and under-resourced populations in Allen County. Grant applications must advance the vision of the St. Joe Foundation in one of the four key impact areas: Prenatal & Infant Care; Refugees & Immigrants; Nutrition & Food Insecurity; and Access to Quality, Affordable Healthcare.

Grant applicants are encouraged to become familiar with the impact areas by visiting our website to learn more about what we fund. Questions and ideas can also be discussed with Foundation staff to affirm compatibility. For Nutrition & Food Insecurity grants, contact Mary Tyndall at mtyndall@sjchf.org. For all other grants impacting vulnerable populations, contact Angela Stanley at astanley@sjchf.org. The online portal opens for 2023 spring grant applications on February 1. Applications must be submitted by March 1.

- Encouraging innovative solutions -
Grantee spotlight:
Building a Stronger Family program helps participants be the best version of themselves
Shalonda and Jermaine, Fort Wayne residents, have built a good life together. They’ve raised five children and supported each other through ups and downs. But like anyone, they each had emotional baggage, or trauma, that sometimes kept them from moving forward in a positive direction. Through the Building A Stronger Family Reactive Lifestyle program, both Shalonda and Jermaine have been able to identify and move beyond the effects of that baggage.

“The Reactive Lifestyle program is about becoming the best version of yourself,” says Jermaine. “I didn’t have a lot of trauma growing up, but I realized through this program that I...

- Connecting moms to critical pregnancy resources in the community -
Program spotlight:
Sleep Well, Little One: Safe Sleep Information and Resources to Keep Babies Protected and Healthy
Save the date

Free Prenatal & Infant Care Luncheon
Thursday, March 2, 2023
11:30am-1:30pm

University of Saint Francis 
Doermer Building, Room 062 
Located on the corner of Spring St. and Leesburg Rd.

Lunch will be provided
December Prenatal & Infant Care Webinar on
Housing Trends and Resources for parents, children, and vulnerable populations

The St. Joseph Community Health Foundation hosted a Prenatal & Infant Care Network webinar on December 1, 2022, on housing trends and resources for parents, children, and vulnerable populations. As a city that is often ranked as one of the most affordable to live in, local experts and service providers weighed in on the question, “Is Fort Wayne really the most affordable city?” 

Erin Norton, director of community outreach at Parkview Women’s and Children’s Services, shared insights from...
- Continuing a history of compassion and excellence -
Foundation focus:
Meet the board: Maria Krach, RD
Q: Tell us about an accomplishment in your professional or private life that you are proud of.

Something I am very proud of is my children, but more important, is what my husband and I have instilled in them regarding giving back to those who are burdened for many different reasons. They all volunteered a lot while in junior high and in high school, but when they left for college, I encouraged them to continue to think of others (when most college kids can become very egocentric). The whole four years while in school, each of them in a different way, spent weekly time with someone in need. Both my boys were Big Brothers to siblings in the South Bend Big Brothers Big Sisters Program, and one of my girls was a “Sister Buddy” to one of the nuns at St. Mary’s Retirement Home, and my other daughter was a Best Buddy with an elderly woman with cerebral palsy who lived in a group home. Our whole family became close to each of their friends. We just wished Sandy in Bloomington a happy 81st
birthday this week.
- Encouraging community health through communication -
Partner spotlight:
Now accepting applications for a spring 2023 medical interpreter training course at Ivy Tech
St. Joe Foundation is pleased to work with Ivy Tech Community College to train local individuals with the necessary skills required to become qualified interpreters this March 20 - 31. The course, Bridging the Gap (BTG), is a 40-hour course and is a nationally recognized medical interpreter training developed by The Cross Cultural Health Care Program.

BTG is widely accepted across the country as the gold standard for medical interpreter training and qualifies as a prerequisite for the national healthcare interpreter certifications. Participants will learn best practices through lecture-based lessons, interactive role plays, case studies, and group discussions. BTG is taught in English and is open to bilingual speakers of all languages. No medical interpreting experience is required! Scholarships are available.

- Building a future of compassion and excellence -
Foundation spotlight:
Mary Tyndall promoted to Communications
& Food Programs Director
Mary Tyndall previously served as Double Up Manager and Chief Storyteller for the St. Joe Foundation; her role has expanded to manage food and nutrition programs and grants beyond the Double Up program. Double Up Food Bucks doubles the value of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits spent at participating markets and grocery stores, helping people bring home more healthy fruits and vegetables while supporting local farmers...
 A ministry sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.