SIERRA VISTA — The Legacy Foundation of Southeast Arizona’s Responsive Grant Program 2022 awarded a plethora of nonprofit organizations last week at Cochise College.
CEO of the Legacy Foundation Margaret Hepburn spearheaded the grant celebration event on Sept. 1.
Hepburn paid tribute to former board director Ruth Britton, who passed away earlier this year. Success stories were shared along with upcoming projects, including a new event center space that will be built over the next two years.
“We’re here this afternoon to celebrate you — our Responsive Grant Awardees,” Hepburn said at the event. “You are present with compassion and support when individuals and families are in need and we are so grateful and proud of everything you do for our communities.”
The celebration was for the Legacy Foundation, which budgets $60 million for grant disbursement with individual grants of up to $5,000 for each organization.
“It’s to assist the organizations with its missions in Cochise County and eastern Santa Cruz,” Hepburn said. “They’re all nonprofit organizations that are aligned with the Legacy Foundation’s mission.
“Our mission is promoting population health and community wellness.”
The Legacy Foundation was formed in 2013 under a partnership with the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center Board of Trustees and RegionalCare Hospital Partners.
Gale Berry, executive director of the Willcox Theater and Arts, said the grants the organization had been awarded are to support their program ACE of Arts (Aging as a Creative Endeavor). The program specializes in assisting senior citizens by providing them with the opportunity to bestow creativity with art. Twice a year, there are art exhibit showings of the program’s participants work. The organization was awarded $4,182.
“The area that we are in is not a wealthy one,” Berry said. “Senior citizens in general are not necessarily with a lot of disposable income so our ability to provide these kinds of programs, and at a low or no cost to the participants, is something that these kinds of grants help us to do.
“It really helps having the opportunity as a older individual to not only get out and enjoy yourself and do something creative, but to do something that’s valued by the community is really important.”
Executive Director of the Senior Citizens of Patagonia Inc. Charles Kelly said the organization has mandated there will always be someone who is trained in first aid and CPR while the senior citizens are present at the Patagonia Senior Citizens and Community Center. The organization helps assist providing food and accessibility services to seniors.
“We have vans that take our seniors and people with disabilities to doctors, dental and shopping,” Kelly said.
The program provides meals for seniors five days a week. The grant totaling $850 will cover first aid and CPR training for up to eight workers under the organization.
The training originally was offered to volunteer drivers four years ago. Training will now be expanded to new drivers that have been hired along with training dining room helpers at the facility.