- Scholarships help eight individuals attend medical interpretation training
- New farmer at HEAL Markets
- August Prenatal & Infant Care Luncheon: Quality Childcare in Allen County
- Meet the Board: Janet Stephenson
- Fall grant applications open August 4
- Safe Families aims to offer families hope
- Monthly Poll: What are you most concerned about?
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- Responding to community needs with scholarships - |
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Program spotlight:
Scholarships help eight individuals
attend medical interpretation training
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Imagine feeling sick and feverish and waiting to see a nurse or doctor only to discover you can’t communicate with them about your illness because English is not your first language. This dilemma is something thousands of Allen County residents face on a regular basis.
The Allen County Vulnerable Populations Study, conducted recently by the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, reported that 6.4% of Allen County residents are foreign-born. Nearly 60% of those 23,200 residents identified themselves as speaking English less than “very well,” leaving many residents without the necessary English language skills to communicate with their healthcare provider.
In order to help these residents communicate more effectively with their medical providers, the St. Joe Foundation is working to help train more than 120 medical interpreters speaking 18+ different languages.
Thanks to scholarships offered by the Foundation, there will soon be...
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- Supporting low-cost, nutritious eating - |
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Partner spotlight:
New farmer at HEAL Markets
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There’s a new farmer at this year’s HEAL Markets – Bishop George McCowan. McCowan, who serves as a Bishop at River of Life Christian Fellowship Church, is now offering fresh produce to customers at the three market locations.
HealthVisions Midwest of Fort Wayne, the HEAL Markets operator, started searching for a farmer after Gonzalee Martin decided to retire. Martin worked with the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation and Parkview Health to start the markets in 2013.
McCowan says he was first introduced to farming 17 years ago, when he worked at the Washington House, a home for men with substance abuse disorder. Longtime local farmer Ephraim Smiley stopped by the organization one day and...
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- Helping inform and connect prenatal and infant care professionals - |
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Foundation event:
Prenatal & Infant Care (PIC) Luncheon:
Quality Childcare in Allen County
Thursday, August 18, 2022, 11:30AM
Allen County Public Library Downtown,
Meeting rooms A/B/C
900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, IN 46802
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Understanding and accessing quality childcare can be challenging not only for parents and caregivers, but also for agencies offering resources to the communities they serve. Join the St. Joe Foundation for an informative and interactive conversation on quality childcare in Allen County. This luncheon is a networking opportunity for local agencies, care providers, and those within the Prenatal & Infant Care Network to learn about the current landscape of childcare in Allen County, hear recommendations on how to support moms and families with quality childcare, and find out what caregivers should know about providing care. |
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Allie Sutherland has worked in Early Childhood Development for 16 years. She has been a preschool teacher, developmental specialist, and program manager of the First 5 First Steps Home Visiting Program. Allie moved to Indiana with her family 3 years ago where she has had the opportunity to work with The United Way of Allen County and The Child Care Resource Network on early childhood coalition projects throughout Northeast Indiana. Allie is currently working with Bridge of Grace on their early learning initiative and coordinating the Northeast Indiana Regional Early Childhood Coalition with the support of Ambassador Enterprises. Allie holds a master’s in child development from San Diego State University and is endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Mentor.
Allie will offer insights on what caregivers should know about helping parents attain quality childcare in Allen County.
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Other presenters include: Erin Norton, Jackie Martinez, Amber Targgart, and Myla Rogers.
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- Continuing a history of compassion and excellence - |
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Foundation focus:
Meet the Board: Janet Stephenson
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Q: What inspires you about the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and their Foundress Saint Katharina? Are there particular values or works that you find especially important?
I am deeply inspired by the mission and work of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ to stand with the poor and the powerless, especially the most needy and underserved. Their founder Saint Katharina Kasper was concerned with helping the whole person, body, mind, and spirit. This type of compassion integrating concern for the physical and spiritual needs of our neighbor embodies the ultimate commandment posed by Jesus to love our neighbor.
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- Responding to community needs with grants - |
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Foundation focus:
Fall grant applications open August 4
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The St. Joe Foundation is seeking proposals to improve the health and wellness of low-income, vulnerable populations in Allen County. Grant applications must advance the vision of the St. Joe Foundation in one of the four key impact areas: pregnant women and infants; refugees and immigrants; those struggling with access to affordable, nutritious food; and access to quality, affordable healthcare for unresourced populations in Allen County, Indiana.
Grant applicants are encouraged to become familiar with the impact areas by visiting the website or clicking below on "What We Fund." Ideas can also be discussed with Foundation staff to affirm compatibility. Applications for the fall grant cycle will be accepted starting August 4, 2022.
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- Creating safe emergency housing for children - |
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Grantee spotlight:
Safe Families for Children
aims to offer families hope
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Families in need of safe and affordable housing is a growing concern nationally, locally, and for the St. Joe Foundation. Over the years, St. Joe has supported families, parents, and pregnant women in need of temporary or emergency shelter through grants to organizations such as A Mother’s Hope, St. Joseph Missions, Redemption House, Hope Alive, New Mercies Ministries, and Safe Families. This spring, the St. Joe Foundation awarded Safe Families a $10,000 grant to support their work, as well as their new direction and leadership transition.
Josh Frey is the new Fort Wayne Coordinator for Safe Families, an organization that hosts vulnerable children and supports families in need via a volunteer network with a mission of keeping children safe and families intact. Originally working in campus ministry at Huntington University, Frey was drawn to his new position out of passion and purpose. “As I was spending time in prayer and scripture, I just kept seeing different verses and different callings to serve those less fortunate and really be generous and hospitable in the community but wasn’t sure how to make that practical in my life,” shares Frey. “Then this opportunity at Safe Families came up and it just seemed like a really natural step to take.”
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- Connecting everyone in the community to critical health resources - |
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Community resource:
Order Free
Community Health
Resource Directories!
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Monthly poll:
What are you or your clients
most concerned about right now?
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______________________________
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Insurance/healthcare coverage
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Other, email us at Joe@sjchf.org
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A ministry sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.
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