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$186,000 awarded to York County nonprofits through COVID-19 fund

Eight nonprofits in York County were awarded part of an $186,000 pool of grant funding through a new fund focused on supporting nonprofit organizations helping the county through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The York County Community Foundation (YCCF) and United Way of York County established the York County COVID-19 Response Fund in late March.

The fund was created to award nonprofits providing food and shelter to vulnerable residents in York County and has since grown to hold $845,000 in donations in less than a month.

On Wednesday, the two organizations announced that $186,000 of the fund were awarded to eight York County nonprofits working to meet an increased demand for food due to the pandemic.

The nonprofits include:

  • Catholic Harvest Food Pantry in York.
  • Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in Harrisburg.
  • Community REACH, Inc. in Red Lion.
  • Mason Dixon Community Services in Delta.
  • New Hope Ministries in Dover.
  • Northeast Neighborhood Association in York.
  • YMCA of York and York County Southern Community Services in Shrewsbury.
  • York County Food Bank in York County.

York County organizations have seen a 300% increase in need for their charitable food services, according to the York County Food Bank.

Jane Conover, president and CEO of YCCF, said she is grateful for the county’s nonprofits and how they’ve stepped up to feed the residents during the crisis.

“This pandemic has touched every corner of our community. People from all walks of life are facing financial struggles that they never imagined,” Conover said. “It’s heartbreaking to see long lines of cars waiting for food at the York County Food Bank and to hear of people who never asked for help before, offering a few dollars in exchange for their box of food. “

Grants awarded through the York County COVID-19 Response Fund are chosen by YCCF and United Way of York County and cannot be applied for. The organizations said that it plans for the next round of grants to be given to organizations offering eviction prevention to York County residents.

Rite Aid Foundation chooses philanthropy veteran as executive director

Matthew DeCamara, Rite Aid Foundation’s new executive director, joins the nonprofit after over two decades of experience with philanthropies. PHOTO/ PROVIDED

The Rite Aid Foundation’s newest executive director brings more than two decades of experience in philanthropic organizations, the nonprofit said on Tuesday.

Matthew DeCamara previously worked for SeriousFun Children’s Network, United Way Worldwide and the GE Foundation before accepting the position at Camp Hill-based Rite Aid’s nonprofit foundation.

The Rite Aid Foundation’s new leader will oversee Rite Aid’s KidCents program, prescription drug safety program and annual in-store campaign for the Children’s Miracle Network.

The foundation primarily awards funds to other nonprofits benefiting children’s health and wellness. Through its KidCents program, members of Rite Aid’s rewards program can round up their purchases to the nearest dollar as a donation.

“There’s no greater mission than supporting whole-being health for those most important to us: our children. That’s why I’m thrilled to join the Rite Aid Foundation,” DeCamara said. “Already the foundation’s impact stretches across the country— into classrooms museums, therapy centers and hospitals— and I’m eager to build upon the amazing work that’s already done.”

DeCamara most recently served as chief development officer for SeriousFun Children’s Network— a network of camps and programs for children living with serious illnesses and their families. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Villanova University.

Finalists named in CPBJ’s Nonprofit Innovation Awards

Let’s celebrate the nonprofit leaders.

Each year the Central Penn Business Journal celebrates individuals and organizations who go above and beyond in their work with nonprofit organizations in the midstate.

The awards highlight work in brand identity, collaboration, management operations, leadership and programs. More than 30 leaders and organizations have been named finalists this year. Winners will be announced at a special morning event on March 17 at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster County.

More information about the event can be found here.  Here are the 2020 finalists:

Brand Identity/Unique Marketing Campaign

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region

Community Progress Council

Cross Keys Village – The Brethren Home Community

Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania

Music for Everyone

Vickie’s Angel Foundation

York Count Libraries

Collaboration

Catholic Harvest Food Pantry

Garden Spot Village

Hamilton Health Center

Harrisburg Beer Week

Paxton Ministries

Wildheart

York County Economic Alliance

Management Operations

Byrnes Health Education Center

Humane Society of Harrisburg Area

Mainstreet Waynesboro, Inc.

Nonprofit Leadership Excellence

Michael Fitzgibbons

Susquehanna Valley EMS

Jamien Harvey

Camp Curtin YMCA

Mark Pile

Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries & Diakon Child, Family & Community Ministries

Darrel Reinford

Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area

Christy Renjilian

Child Care Consultants

Julie Walker

The Peyton Walker Foundation

Jennifer Wintermyer

Tri County Community Action

Programs

Clinic for Special Children

Downtown Inc

Good Samaritan Services

Goodwill Keystone Area

The Jewish Home of Greater Harrisburg

Messiah Lifeways

New Hope Ministries

 

Rite Aid Foundation awards $2.4 million to child-focused charities

Nonprofits like Harrisburg-based Joshua House and Caitlin’s Smiles were two of 481 organizations nationally to receive funding in The Rite Aid Foundation’s 2020 KidCents class.

For the past six years, Rite Aid and its nonprofit foundation in Camp Hill have offered grant money through the foundation’s KidCents program to charities across the country shown to improve the health and wellbeing of children.

This year, the foundation added 69 charities to its growing list of nonprofits, making it the foundation’s largest group of nonprofits awarded funds since the program began.

KidCents is funded through Rite Aid’s loyalty program, which allows customers to round up their purchases to donate. This year, the foundation collected $2.4 million for the program.

With the money raised, the foundation will give each of the 481 nonprofits a $5,000 grant to be used at their discretion.

“More than three million Rite Aid customers actively choose to make meaningful contributions to help children in their communities through KidCents,” said Jessica Kazmaier, president of The Rite Aid Foundation and Rite Aid chief human resources officer. “The program’s growth is a testament to their generosity and commitment to building safer, stronger and more supportive communities for youth across the country. The 2020 KidCents class has the opportunity to prove that change adds up exponentially, and we look forward to helping them achieve their goal of giving kids better lives and brighter futures.”

Pennsylvania nonprofits participating in KidCents include Aevidum in Lititz, Aaron’s Acres in Lancaster and Joshua House and Caitlin’s Smiles in Harrisburg.

Fig Industries looking for nonprofit partnership

Lancaster-based marketing firm and publisher Fig Industries is looking for a nonprofit to partner with for next year.

For the last 14 years, the branding, marketing and photography business has chosen local organizations to offer free advertisement and donations over the year.

The firm publishes Fig Magazine, six quarterly print publications specialized in local businesses and events in Lancaster, Kennet Square, West Chester, Bethlehem and Aiken and Columbia, South Carolina.

Fig chooses a nonprofit in each of the regions it operates in and offers those organizations free publicity. It then chooses one organization that operates in it Lancaster to offer both free publicity and additional services.

The firm’s partner in 2019 was Scaling Walls a Note at a Time, a Chester County nonprofit that teaches music to children affected by parental incarceration.

Fig Industries was recently recognized as a B Corporation by Chester County-based nonprofit B Lab. B Lab designates businesses as B corporations if they meet its standards of accountability, transparency and impact on its community and environment.

Fig is still accepting nominations for the 2020 Fig Social Mission partner until Dec. 30.

How an emphasis on community service led to a career with Harrisburg police

Blake Lynch, community policing coordinator for the Harrisburg Bureau of Police has carried a love for community and relationship building into the position he joined last year. PHOTO/IOANNIS PASHAKIS

On Sept. 3, a criminal investigation into a shooting on Harrisburg’s North Sixth Street kept the staff of the Camp Curtin YMCA from getting into work.

Unsure when they would be able to enter the building, the local nonprofit called the Harrisburg Bureau of Police’s community policing coordinator, Blake Lynch.

As the liaison between the bureau and the city’s residents and businesses, Lynch is often the information resource for groups like the YMCA when the bureau has its hands tied with high-priority calls.

“Unfortunately, the things that are quality of life matters, like illegal dumping or parking, can take a while to get to,” Lynch said. “The side of our vehicles say ‘protect and serve.’ My job is to try and make sure that our officers can serve as much as possible.”

Lynch took the call from the Y’s executive director and helped get them an answer from the bureau. He also spoke with local businesses to get video footage of the crime taken by a nearby security camera.

Acting as the bridge between the community and city police has given Lynch such a huge network of sources that it isn’t uncommon for someone say “just call Blake.”

Those relationships are important to Lynch, a Harrisburg area resident that emphasizes community and volunteerism. Lynch is a volunteer board member of the South-Central Pennsylvania sector of the Boy Scouts of America, a member of the board of directors for the Harrisburg-based Hamilton Health Center and a member of the Agency Services Committee for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

“I feel that we were all created to help someone else if we have the opportunity to do so,” he said. “To have these relationships and to use those to help an organization, help a business leader or help an officer; that is my response to (that opportunity).”

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank invited Lynch to join its committee two years ago and Joe Arthur, the food bank’s executive director, said that he is one of the food bank’s most engaged partners.

“We need people to trust the food bank and trust our partners and Blake is very good at helping us engage in Harrisburg in a way that brings out both people in need of help and people willing to offer help,” Arthur said.

Arthur, who knew Lynch before he joined the bureau, but said his connections with the city’s police helped form a partnership between the two organizations that didn’t exist before. The department invited the food bank to participate in its annual National Night Out event on Aug. 6.

“The very fact that our organization is working constructively with the police department is really because of Blake,” Arthur said.

It took time for Lynch to learn how to juggle his career, family and nonprofit work. Lynch attributed his ability to balance his life, to keeping himself from feeling forced to do something and being aware of his own decisions.

“Self-awareness is key if you want to serve and help others,” he said. “If it is something you want to do and you find pleasure in it, it will lead you to be more successful.”

Lynch, 31, attended Messiah College for a major in public relations and crisis communications and left the school before receiving his degree. It took him over a decade to find the right career in his field.

Lynch spent years in the hospitality industry, then was hired as the director of development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harrisburg, a job he left in 2018 to pursue his current position.

During that time working outside of his field, Lynch learned the importance of coming to terms with rejection.

“You have to go through this process of being slow cooked,” he said. “It’s the meals that take a long time that are what you remember.”

Correction: The story previously mentioned that Lynch was a graduate of Messiah College. Lynch attended Messiah College but left the school before receiving his degree. 

Notes from your CPA: 2017 tax law requires strategic refresh for nonprofits

Tax experts agree: adjusting to new accounting standards and the effects of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act can make the nonprofit world more confusing – and challenging.

That’s why it’s essential for a CPA or other financial adviser to serve as your nonprofit’s partner and guide year-round to avoid surprises, especially at tax time.

Here are some tips to help ensure your nonprofit, one of more than 13,000 operating in Pennsylvania, maintains the strong financial backing it needs to continue its meaningful work while meeting today’s state and federal regulations.

Fundraising strategies

We like to think that donors always give from the heart but, in reality, the benefit to the pocketbook is often a strong consideration.

While it may be the end of the year before we feel the full impact of the new tax law, we already are seeing signs related to the doubling of the standard deduction that left many households unable to write off charitable contributions.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals reports charitable donations of $1,000 or more increased by 2.6 percent in 2018, but the overall number of donors decreased 4.5 percent and contributions of less than $999 fell by about 4 percent.

What can you do? Consider reaching out to legacy donors – those donors who believe strongly in your mission and have supported the charity year after year. Ask for an in-person meeting to thank them and explain the new donor climate or perhaps invite them to a special event for donors only.

During the meeting, ask whether they would be comfortable including your organization in their estate plans. Through a specific charitable bequest, the donor can direct a gift, such as cash or property, to a charity.

Another possibility is for the donor to transfer the required disbursement from a tax-deferred retirement account to your nonprofit. IRS regulations require individuals to take a minimum distribution at age 70½. If your donor doesn’t need the income or wants to exclude the amount from taxable income, they can give up to $100,000 to your organization as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).

“Bunching” is an option for donors who are not financially able to make a sizeable donation year after year. Under the new law, taxpayers’ combined itemized expenses must exceed the standard deduction of $12,000 for an individual and $24,000 for a married couple. By “bunching,” a donor can give a more significant amount, then skip a year or two before donating to your charity again, meeting the higher requirement and maximizing his tax advantage for one year.

Pay attention to UBTI

Recent changes amended the definition of Unrelated Business Taxable Income (UBTI) with surprisingly little publicity, but potentially big impact. Your CPA should explain what these changes may mean for your specific organization, calculate whether additional tax may be due and, if necessary, complete form 990-T.

A few of the most notable changes are:

  • Profits from one activity can no longer offset losses from a different unrelated business activity. (UBTI refers to activities not directly related to your organization’s mission).
  • Employers that incur costs for commuter transportation, transit passes, parking and on-premise fitness facilities for their employees are no longer allowed to deduct these costs for tax purposes. They now fall under reportable UBTI and the employer will have to recognize income on these expenses. However, if a net loss carryforward is available from prior years, this loss can be used to offset the UBTI on the expenses listed above.
  • Net operating losses can offset no more than 80 percent of taxable income.

More than taxes

In addition to helping your organization navigate through often bewildering changes in tax law and accounting standards, your CPA can serve as a valuable resource for your daily operations.

For example, a new standard requires disclosure of liquidity – reserve operating funds available for upcoming projects – in financial statements. Your CPA can offer advice on how to build up the reserve.

Additionally, your financial professional can serve as a resource for your daily operation. Look to your CPA to provide templates to help you formulate employee policies related to conflict of interest, record retention, whistleblowers, gift acceptance and other issues. This is in addition to addressing your needs for services including audits, taxes, employee benefits, litigation, fraud and information technology.

In the end, what will set your nonprofit apart? Preparation. Preparation to meet fundraising targets, tax requirements and, most of all, the needs of those who rely on your organization. A CPA or financial adviser can be a vital part of your nonprofit’s success.

Kyle R. Evans, CPA, is a supervisor with Boyer & Ritter LLC, where he provides audit, accounting and tax services for a variety of clients and industry groups, including business, nonprofit and personal income tax. Contact Kyle at 717-761-7210 or [email protected].

United Way of Lancaster County is looking for its next leader

Sue Suter is leaving the United Way of Lancaster County after five years as its president and CEO. After helping the organization completely change how it funded local nonprofits, she will be joining the Peace Corps. PHOTO/IOANNIS PASHAKIS –

For 40 years Sue Suter’s license plate has read “Give” and Suter, the president and CEO of the United Way of Lancaster County, has spent her career doing just that.

After leading Lancaster’s United Way for the last five years through one of its biggest changes to date, she intends to retire early next year and continue her trend of giving by joining the Peace Corps.

The United Way’s current leader joined the Manheim Township nonprofit in 2014 as it was dealing with high CEO turnover and on the brink of changing how it funded local nonprofits.

Five years later, the organization and the county have embraced the new funding model and Suter is preparing to leave the organization soon after its board finds a new president and CEO.

Leading many United Way organizations

Before moving to Lancaster, Suter had already amassed over 24 years of experience in different leadership roles with United Ways in a number of states. Suter had made a name for herself as someone an organization wanted on its team after leading the United Way of South Mississippi’s recovery efforts during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Suter also held a 13-year tenure as the executive director of the United Way of the Greater Seacoast in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and spent four years as director of United Way of America’s National Corporate Leadership division.

The year Suter joined was an important one for the United Way of Lancaster County. Since its inception, the organization funded individual groups throughout the county on projects the organizations pitched. When Suter was hired to take on the role of president and CEO, the United Way was preparing to be the first in the country to give up that method of funding and instead rely completely on a collective impact model.

The new model would allow the United Way to have a stronger role in its funding of nonprofits by working with those organizations to ensure they were addressing a series of goals set out by the United Way of Lancaster County while also ensuring that nonprofits in any given area weren’t duplicating their services.

The model was to be fully integrated into the Lancaster United Way’s funding by 2015 and the community was initially wary of the change. One of Suter’s first responsibilities as she entered her role was to help ease a transition into the model that the region had no experience with.

“The change to collective impact was difficult because people didn’t want change,” Suter said. “The fear was that United Way would abandon these organizations because no one understood the model.”

Following in the footprints of other nonprofits that had gone through with the model, the organization pushed forward, confident that the collective impact model’s focus on collaboration would provide better outcomes than projects done by only one organization.

Andrea Heberlein, the United Way’s vice president of strategic impact, said that for the method to succeed, there needed to be a leader that trusted in the model.

“One of the main reasons (Suter) was interested in our United Way was because we already had made that decision to evolve into the new model,” Heberlein said. “She really was supportive of that and did what she could to help others be supportive as well.”

The organization is happy with its progress of the collective impact model as it begins its search for a new leader. The model works on a cycle of three years with organizations applying to receive funding under one of 10 different partnerships, each with their own goals.

“We are sitting right now at a significant inflection point for the United Way,” said Donald Maier, the chairman of the United Way of Lancaster County’s board of directors. “We now have four years of results (with the model) and we are seeing the needle move on our goals.”

Suter was also a key player in ridding the United Way of a series of “legacy issues” that put financial stress on the organization. Those issues included ending a multi-employer pension program that the nonprofit had entered with other local nonprofits in the 60’s and the selling of the United Way’s headquarters on Janet Avenue in Manheim Township.

This year the organization leased a new headquarters off of West Roseville Road in Manheim Township. With the new location settled, the setting up of the collective impact model sailing through its fourth year and the legacy issues put to rest, Suter said the United Way of Lancaster’s new leader will be able to turn their attention to raising more money to continue funding its partnerships.

“The focus now has to be fundraising and marketing because we have the product,” Suter said. “If we had more money we could have more of an impact on the community.”

A national search is underway to find a new president and CEO but the nonprofit’s leadership hopes to find a local candidate with deep ties to the county that can help realize the goal of finding more local funding.

Funding was difficult in the first four years of the new model but the organization is confident that its partnerships have made visible strides in their goals that a new leader could use to accelerate funding.

“We are looking for someone with significant experience in renovating a philanthropic model,” Maier said. “Nationwide, we are seeing investments decline and yet other organizations are being creative in how they attract new donors and investors.”

Suter is willing to wait the search out and stay as long as she needs to until the United Way can find a suitable replacement. However, the organization’s board of directors have known of Suter’s plan to join the Peace Corps since she took the job.

“When I was being interviewed I promised them five years. They knew that I planned to go into the Peace Corps in 2020,” she said. “People are living so much longer, your life isn’t over at 65 and there are so many opportunities.”

Seminar puts spotlight on fraud at small nonprofits

At least once a week Fred Croop, an accounting professor at Misericordia University, opens up the newspaper and finds some case of fraud occurring at a nonprofit organization.

The situation is widespread, and Croop, who also is a board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO), said he has made it his mission, along with his students at Misericordia, to put together a manual for internal controls to prevent fraud. Misericordia is in Dallas, Pennsylvania.

“Fraud at nonprofits is such a big problem. Often, they do not have the resources to recover. If they lose a lot of money, they will go out of business,” Croop said. “And if money is stolen, it is hard to prosecute the culprit because the records simply are not there.”

The professor said that within a recent six-week span about six nonprofits in northeastern Pennsylvania reported fraud.

Examples of those struck include ambulance organizations, fire companies, teacher organizations, athletic organizations and social clubs.

Croop is holding a free seminar at Misericordia on May 14 for CPAs called “Effective Internal Controls for Small Nonprofits and Volunteer Organizations.” Croop intends to talk about recent cases of fraud and money mismanagement at small nonprofits.

Croop gives tips he would offer any organization, including doing monthly bank reconciliations, requiring that two or more (unrelated) people within an organization handle the money and look over bank records, having board members who are not related to each other, and changing treasurers every few years.

Croop, who is licensed to do continuing education for CPAs, added that checks should have a minimum of two signatures, cancelled checks need to be looked at carefully and a treasury report should periodically be reviewed by members.

“If you can afford an auditor, then do it,” he said.

According to Anne L. Gingerich, executive director of PANO in Harrisburg, volunteers at nonprofit organizations lead busy lives. That makes internal controls even that more critical. It is necessary to document everything, keep multiple board members in the loop and, if possible, involve an accounting firm.

She said that small nonprofits can access a template to properly do financial records free of charge by becoming a PANO member. She points out that financial information needs to be shared with the board and staff routinely, and members have to ask important questions and address inaccuracies.

John Nonnemacher, CPA at Snyder & Clemente in Hazleton, does work for nonprofit organizations throughout Carbon and Schuylkill counties. He said he has been asked to speak on the topic of fraud.

“In my seminars, I use the analogy, ‘What is one plus one?’ I always say the person capable of committing fraud would answer, ‘What do you want it to be?’”

He said there may be other red flags in fraud scenarios. He said those in charge of money and committing fraud will likely be unwilling to take a vacation for fear of suspicious activity being discovered in their financial record-keeping. They will appear hostile and get defensive when asked questions regarding funds, and they will provide vague answers to financial questions.

“They have excuses every time someone asks to look at accounts,” Nonnemacher said.

The CPA cited an example of a recent situation regarding a doctor and his bookkeeper/secretary. The bookkeeper never wanted to take vacations, but when she finally did, the doctor’s wife reviewed bank statements in her absence. The wife discovered many checks in the bank account written out to the bookkeeper. Mistakenly, she became concerned that the doctor was having an affair with his bookkeeper when, instead, there was fraud being committed.

“In the case of nonprofits, these organizations are stretched so thin. You should have more than one person involved with counting the money, recording transactions, keeping bank records. But that often doesn’t happen,” Nonnemacher said, adding that nonprofits with volunteers to do the work will frequently avoid pressing charges against a fraudulent treasurer.

“They do not want the bad press for the organization,” he added. “And also there are times that they may feel bad for the person committing the crime. Members of the nonprofit may have personal relationships with the treasurer and have sympathy for that person because they may have taken the money in desperation due to financial struggles or issues with their health.”

Nonnemacher said he tells nonprofit organizations that want to avoid fraud to have copies of invoices for any expenses such as services and materials and have them attached to the back of all checks. The people who sign checks should carefully look at each invoice. The back of each check should be stamped ‘For Deposit Only.’

He said the head of the organization – the person who signs the checks – should never sign blank checks and then go on vacation. It gives those willing to commit fraud the opportunity to write checks for whatever they want.

“Sadly, when an organization has experienced fraud, it then becomes tainted. People are cautious about participating in or donating to fundraisers that the organization holds,” Nonnemacher said. “There are good people volunteering their time within the organization, and they do a lot of good things. That gets overlooked when fraud takes place.”

Gingerich at PANO gives volunteers committing fraud the benefit of the doubt saying, “Those managing the operations do not know the legal, ethical responsibilities in managing the dollars that the public entrusts to their care.  Thus, rules get overlooked and/or processes do not include internal checks and balances. If fraud happens, it is usually done from ignorance and not with intention.”

Pennsylvania nursing homes face Medicaid funding shortfalls

(Photo: Thinkstock)

Nursing homes throughout the state face Medicaid funding gaps, for a total of $631 million in statewide funding shortages, according to data from LeadingAge PA, an association of nonprofit aging service providers in Pennsylvania. For nonprofit nursing home residents, this amounts to $82.16 per resident per day.

The funding gap is sparking concern that some nursing facilities will be forced to close or scale back due to the shortfall.

The data was compiled for LeadingAge PA by RKL LLP, a Pennsylvania based certified public accounting firm, which developed a custom database using publicly available Medicaid cost reports to measure Medicaid funding to nursing homes.

According to Scott Stevenson, president and CEO of Phoebe Ministries, a nonprofit nursing facility organization with locations throughout Pennsylvania, Phoebe has experienced over $55.5 million in lost revenue due to the Medicaid gap.

“It’s frustrating to go into yet another budget year knowing we’re facing another year of Medicaid shortfalls,” Stevenson said. “We’ve needed to be proactive, adjusting our course and diversifying our services.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services reports that older adults and people with disabilities account for 78 percent of Medicaid spending.

Adam Marles, CEO of LeadingAge PA, is concerned that the Medicaid shortfalls may force some nursing facilities to close.

“The results of this analysis boldly reinforce the crisis skilled nursing facilities continue to face,” said Marles. “Excellent care and services cannot be sustained without reimbursement rates to match the escalating costs.”

Phoebe Ministries President and CEO Scott Stevenson believes that both federal and state government need to allocate additional budget dollars to address the shortfall.

“That increased funding is clearly a challenge,” he said.

Stevenson said that despite the challenge of increasing funding to Medicaid, the alternative of sending patients displaced from nursing home closings to hospitals would be more costly.

Welcome to the 2019 spring Giving Guide

SPONSORED CONTENT

Welcome to the Central Penn Business Journal’s 2019 Giving Guide. This section was designed to help readers decide where to donate their time, money and efforts.

It works like a menu. But instead of finding the perfect meal, readers can discover the needs of local organizations that are making a difference in Central Pennsylvania. In order to continue their missions, they need outside support.

Please take a closer look at the nonprofits highlighted in this section. Whether you are interested in donating money or time, why not start helping an organization that is of interest to you? Your giving can go far in strengthening the communities of Central Pennsylvania.

Click on the links below to jump to specific profiles:

Central Pennsylvania Food Bank

Harrisburg Area YMCA

Messiah Lifeways

The Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region

Pinnacle Health Foundation

YWCA Carlisle

Disability advocacy nonprofit COO moves to CEO

The new CEO for the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania has helped lead the organization from its infancy in Cumberland County.

Janetta Green, former COO of the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania, took over as CEO this month. (Photo: Submitted) 

Janetta Green took over as CEO for the East Pennsboro Township-based nonprofit at the beginning of the month. Green is replacing Theo Braddy, who she worked alongside for three decades.

“Janetta has been with the CILCP for nearly 30 years and her experience, knowledge and longevity with the organization will be valuable as she leads us into the future,” said Vini Portzline, the nonprofit’s board chairman.

The Cumberland County branch is one of 16 Centers for Independent Living in the state. The centers attempt to eliminate barriers for people with disabilities through advocacy and services like counseling and skills training.

Green was previously the nonprofit’s COO and as CEO, will be more involved with working with the community and both local and state government on issues pertaining to people with disabilities. She said the center is not looking for someone to fill her previous position at this time but the center’s director of operations will be taking on some of the COO’s responsibilities with Green acting within both roles.

The branch works primarily in Mifflin, Juniata, Perry, Dauphin and Cumberland counties. It has two unique services it offers to individuals with disabilities that Green said she hopes continue to grow under her leadership.

The organization’s DeafBlind Living Well Services connect people who are both deaf and blind with paid contractors who can provide assistance with anything they may need to live independently like going to medical appointments and grocery shopping.

Green said she wants to see the program grow and for the center to find better ways to contact deafblind people who could use the help.

“In the big towns and cities you have pockets of people but there are also people out in rural counties and they’ve been hard to identify,” she said.

The center also offers home modification services by providing contractor referrals and guidance to help disabled individuals install modifications to their homes like access ramps and stair lifts.