Monte Pearson of Perkins School for the Blind accepts the grant from the Marshall Home Fund at the recent ceremony.
The Marshall Home Fund awarded more than $40,000 in grants to groups providing services to Watertown residents age 55 and over ranging from healthcare to music to transportation.
The Board of Directors pledged $42,275 to nine local organizations. A ceremony was held on May 8 at the First Parish Church of Watertown. See what the grants will be used for below:
Arsenal Center for the Arts: The Open Door Project allows many more older residents to enjoy studio art classes, films, music, and theater events that might otherwise be out of their reach financially.
Perkins School for the Blind: Thriving with Vision Loss provides older adults with access to the resources of the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library.
Sacred Threads Center: Sometimes I Ask Myself…Soulful Discussions will include a series of monthly conversations focusing on topics such as grief, loss, dependence vs. independence, forgiveness, and other important issues related to participants’ spiritual and emotional health.
Watertown Council on Aging/Senior Center: Supplemental Transportation Program provides emergency transportation for Watertown seniors.
Watertown Family Network: Music with Shannon is an intergenerational program for older adults and families who attend WFN programming. This grant covers the weekly fee for the musician.
Watertown Health Department: Compassionate Connections IV provides continued funding for a project that addresses the problem of hoarding through a supportive case management model.
Watertown Housing Authority: Through the Stay Cool program, the Watertown Housing Authority will coordinate the purchase and installation of air conditioners for Watertown residents 55 and over who meet the income eligibility requirements.
WatertownTogether: WatertownTogether aims to help Watertown residents age-in-place. This request will help support a forum on healthy aging and the yearly membership fee for the Village-to-Village Network.
Windsor House: Adult Day Health Services Scholarship Fund provides services for at-risk, low-income elders and respite for their families.
The Marshall Home Fund’s program grant award recipients, from left, Caryl Fox (Senior Center), Arlene Smith (Watertown Family Network), Bob Shay (WatertownTogether), Patty Richardson (Watertown Housing Authority), Donna Moultrup (Watertown Health Department), Monte Pearson (Perkins School for the Blind), Denise Thorud (Windsor House Adult Day Health Center), Amanda Simeone (Arsenal Center for the Arts), S. Rosemary Mulvihill (Sacred Threads Center), S. Marie LaBolitta (Sacred Threads Center), and Ivy Nagahiro (Arsenal Center for the Arts).
The Marshall Home Fund is a nonprofit, community-based charitable foundation dedicated to serving Watertown’s older adult population. It was founded in 2005.
The group also provides financial assistance to elderly individuals in urgent need. These individuals must be referred to MHF by local agencies, town officials, or organizations, including Watertown Council on Aging and Springwell.
For more information about Marshall Home Fund, please visit www.marshallhomefund.org or email info@marshallhomefund.org.