{"id":8254,"date":"2016-09-19T11:30:33","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T15:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/?p=8254"},"modified":"2016-09-19T11:30:33","modified_gmt":"2016-09-19T15:30:33","slug":"8254","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/in-the-news\/8254\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Services Announces $5.5 Million Fundraising Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

Appeared 9\/19\/2016 –\u00a0<\/em>Written by John Hinton, Winston-Salem Journal\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"planned-giving\"Senior Services Inc. of Winston-Salem has announced a $5.5 million fundraising campaign to expand its services for elderly people in Forsyth County.<\/p>\n

The nonprofit organization has already raised $5.15 million toward its goal, said Kristen Perry, Senior Services\u2019 vice president of community engagement. The agency raised that sum through grants from foundations and donations from the agency\u2019s friends.<\/p>\n

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The organization is now asking for local residents to donate, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe plan is to spread the word far and wide in the community and to get individuals to donate,\u201d Perry said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Senior Services also is seeking more grants from foundations. The organization\u2019s officials hope to reach their fundraising goal by Dec. 31.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBut we will keep it going as long as we have to reach that goal,\u201d Perry said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The current fundraising effort, the Aging with a Purpose campaign, would be the second largest in the organization\u2019s history, said Richard Gottlieb, Senior Services\u2019 president and chief executive officer. In 2004, the organization raised more than $6 million to build its center on Shorefair Drive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a really important way for this community to help prepare for a growing senior population,\u201d Gottlieb said of the campaign. \u201cThe increase in longevity and the huge increase in the number of older adults is a wonderful gift that includes tremendous opportunities for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that there were 48,826 people 65 and older living in Forsyth County in 2014. That figure represented 13.6 percent of the county\u2019s population of 358,130 at that time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By July 2035, there will be 86,783 people 65 and older living in Forsyth, according to a population projection by the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management. That figure will represent 19.2 percent of the county\u2019s estimated population of 449,743.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cApproximately 20 percent of the 65 (and older) population will need significant assistance to manage normal activities of daily living,\u201d Senior Services said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The organization, which began in 1963, has seven programs to address the needs of elderly people. They consist of its adult day center, its Meals-On-Wheels program and its help line. The organization also provides services such as its senior lunch, living at home and elder care choices programs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The organization has 119 employees, more than 2,000 volunteers, 65 board members and nearly 4,000 donors. The agency serves about 20,000 people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Its fundraising effort is being led by Robert J. Johnson Jr., a senior executive vice president and general counsel of BB&T Corp. The co-chairmen are Richard Budd, chairman emeritus of The Budd Group, and Kelly S. King, chairman and chief executive officer of BB&T.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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King said that the organization has raised 94 percent of its fundraising goal, so far, because many donors recognize the importance of the effort.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMany donors have parents who are alive and who are going through the senior stages in their lives,\u201d King said. \u201cThe Aging with a Purpose campaign is a great cause. It is such an important idea that we have to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The organization will use the money it raises to improve the mental health of elderly people. That project seeks to address loneliness, helplessness and boredom among elderly people by providing opportunities to enhance the meaning and purpose in their lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Senior Services\u2019 officials will evaluate the project\u2019s activities, the organization said. And if they determine that those activities have been successful, the project could be replicated in similar senior service organizations across the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Johnson said that the campaign has been effective because \u201cthe community has rallied behind its cause.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Local residents want to ensure that senior citizens have purpose in their lives as they age, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThat message has resonated with our community,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a cause that everyone understands.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Budd said that Senior Services delivers on its mission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cA healthy community cares for those in need,\u201d Budd said. \u201cOur seniors in need (population) is growing, and our donors have recognized this in a generous way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Appeared 9\/19\/2016 –\u00a0Written by John Hinton, Winston-Salem Journal\u00a0 Senior Services Inc. of Winston-Salem has announced a $5.5 million fundraising campaign to expand its services for elderly people in Forsyth County. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8254"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8254\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seniorservicesinc.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}