ElderCare Trust can be a part of giving

By Lt. Governor André Bauer

First the good news: This past October, two terrific new projects that will serve seniors and their families were awarded grants through the South Carolina ElderCare Trust Fund.

• 5 Points Wheels

With 16 partner organizations, Columbia's Capital Senior Center is starting a transportation program that will serve seniors 60 and older and adults with physical disabilities living within the Five Points/Downtown area of Columbia who no longer drive. Transportation will be provided at no cost to the rider, but riders will be encouraged to make a donation for this service if possible. Transportation will enable the riders to participate in a host of services and activities within the community being served, including utilitarian (doctor visits), health-related (exercise programs), educational (seminars and health fairs), and recreation (bingo, dance lessons, movies, shopping, etc.).

• The ARK, The NOAH Project

The ARK of Summerville has developed the NOAH Project (Neighborhood Outreach Alzheimer's Help). Grant funds will be dedicated to expanding Alzheimer's support services into small towns and rural areas that have little access to care resources. The goal of the NOAH Project is to provide a basic infrastructure or framework of rural Alzheimer's services for Berkeley, Colleton, Charleston, Dorchester and Orangeburg counties in anticipation of a rapidly growing dementia population. This objective will be accomplished by identifying interested stakeholders in rural communities, offering training, and providing supportive services that will create a culture of caring in small town South Carolina. -more-

All of the numerous worthwhile projects that have been supported with ElderCare Trust seed grants since the program was created by the Legislature in 1992 are innovative programs designed to help older South Carolinians live with dignity and vitality in their communities. And with our senior population in South Carolina on pace to more than double during the next two decades, these types of community-based programs will be a critical to successfully adjusting to that new demographic reality, and to building a South Carolina that can prosper and grow with an older citizenry and workforce.

Now for the not so good news: Funding for the ElderCare Trust Fund comes from a check-off on the state income tax form and from private donations. And in recent years, donations to the Trust Fund have dwindled as more check-offs for other causes have been added to tax forms. More than 20 projects from community groups around the state totaling more than $210,00 in grant requests were submitted to the Office on Aging for consideration this year, including projects in Lancaster, Rock Hill, Charleston, Bishopville, Lugoff, Moncks Corner and the Columbia area. Unfortunately, funds were only available to help the two detailed above get off the ground. Unfortunately, we know that with other programs competing for attention on the income tax check-off, the amount of money available to support these projects from that source is likely to continue to shrink. One thing that I hope to accomplish over the next four years is to enlist the support of the business community in South Carolina - particularly of those companies for whom seniors are major customers - to underwrite some of these projects. However, in the meantime, I would also like to encourage individual citizens of the state to consider making a direct donation to the ElderCare Trust Fund this year. A direct donation made before the end of the year would be deductible on your 2006 income taxes, and would also lend vital support to making more of these projects that can keep our older citizens healthy, independent and productive a reality in more communities around the state.

Contributions can be made directly to the Trust Fund by sending a check to: Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging - ElderCare Trust Fund 1301 Gervais Street Columbia, SC 29201 For more information about previous projects supported with Trust Fund grants, visit http://www.aging.sc.gov/Providers/ElderCareTrustFund.htm on the web.