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Caldwell LIVE

UNITED JEWISH COMMUNITIES PRESS RELEASE: Caldwell LIVE, a UJC MetroWest supported program for seniors, receives $65,000 grant

4/27/09: Caldwell LIVE has received a grant of $65,000 from the Mountainside Health Foundation, located in Montclair, NJ.

Caldwell LIVE, which is just getting under way, is the second program in LIVE – Lifelong Involvement for Vital Elders – whose purpose is to support a range of social, physical, spiritual, recreational, health, wellness, and housing needs of older adults by increasing access to information, resources, supportive services, and civic engagement operations. The first LIVE program was launched in 2004 in the Lake Hiawatha area of Parsippany, An estimated 6,016 adults over the age of 60 live in Lake Hiawatha and the nearby areas of Parsippany.

United Jewish Communities (UJC) of MetroWest NJ is the lead agency for LIVE, working in partnership with Jewish communal agencies, host municipalities, civic groups, and other service providers.

Caldwell, the site of the second LIVE program, is home to an estimated total of 2,282 residents over the age of 60, according to 2000 Census data. The grant funding from the Mountainside Health Foundation will be applied toward staff, direct service program activities and program supplies, for the period of March 15, 2009, through March 14, 2010.

Expected project outcomes for Caldwell LIVE include enabling older residents to become more engaged and less isolated, with stronger social support networks; connecting older adults with information, resources, and coordinated supportive services designed to help them maintain their independence; fostering a sense of Caldwell as a good place to grow older by sparking new collaborations between government, faith-based organizations, non-profit providers, civic groups, and community volunteers, which benefit residents and involve older adults who might otherwise be disenfranchised from services or programs.

According to Karen Alexander, UJC MetroWest’s Director of Eldercare Services, “Caldwell was chosen as the second site for LIVE for a number of compelling reasons: it is compact and dense, with 7,600 people in 1.2 square miles, and 40% of the households have someone age 55 or more. 15.4% of the older adult households are a single person living alone. There is great community cohesion there, and we received early and enthusiastic support from the town’s leadership.”

Pam Scott, Chief Foundation Officer for the Mountainside Health Foundation, spoke about some of the reasons the Caldwell LIVE proposal appealed to her organization.

“This project fits very nicely with our foundation’s priorities. We see Caldwell as a pilot site for us as funders in support of seniors. This is an exciting ground-floor opportunity to support the program and to learn, so that we can consider expanding our support for LIVE programming into other communities.

“Certainly, the track record of success from Parsippany LIVE was impressive to us, as was the thoroughness with which the whole project was thought through. We were also impressed with the sustainability component. The infrastructure that will be built up will be self-supporting, so that it will not disappear when the funding goes away.”

The LIVE program is a federally funded initiative. Non-federal grant funds are matched on a 1:3 basis with federal funds. The total LIVE budget for two years is $637,989 for both sites.

United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ raises funds through its United Jewish Appeal campaign, provides resources and coordinates programs and services for the Jewish community in Essex, Morris, and Sussex counties, as well as part of Union county. As the key Jewish philanthropic organization, the federation and its 18 local beneficiary agencies strive to fulfill the communal and social service needs of the MetroWest community. It also works to maintain the integrity and dignity of Jewish life through its national and international fundraising efforts.

Mark Cohen (973) 929-3084

media@ujcnj.org

(The original press release can be found at UJC's Website.)