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The Superior Health Foundation is helping a local hospice care home to provide a much appreciated service.
The foundation awarded over $6,000 to the Omega House in Houghton for their Caring Hands program.
The program provides professional therapeutic massages to the terminally ill residents, and if time allows, to family members of the resident in the Houghton County area.
The grant was part of more than $82,000 that was awarded to Upper Peninsula organizations by the foundation.
Here is the full press release from the Superior Health Foundation:
MARQUETTE – The Superior Health Foundation awarded more than $82,200 in health-centered grant funding at its Spring Grants Celebration on Thursday evening at the Holiday Inn in Marquette. The Awards Celebration was sponsored by 44 North.
The Superior Health Foundation, a conversion foundation formed following the sale of Marquette General Health System to for-profit Duke LifePoint in September 2012, awarded $82,273.48 in grants, with $62,075.43 being dispersed in large grants to eight organizations in the Upper Peninsula.
“The Superior Health Foundation is very excited to award grant funding to eight deserving organizations across the Upper Peninsula,” said Jim LaJoie, executive director of the Superior Health Foundation. “One grant at a time, we’re playing an important role in improving the health and well-being of people in the Upper Peninsula.”
Added Dan Arnold, MD, President of the SHF Board of Directors: “On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Superior Health Foundation, we’re delighted to award charitable grant funding to eight organizations that align with our mission, which is to assist with unmet healthcare needs, with health education, and with programs and research on preventing illness and promoting health.”
At the celebration, the SHF also recognized mini-grant winners from October 2015 through March 2016. In that period, 20,198.05 was awarded in mini-grants to 17 organizations across the region.
A capsule look at the organizations receiving large grant funding Thursday evening:
§ Marquette Alternative High School, $9,373.38: She Believed/He Believed seeks to improve, provide and support wellness and health habits; improve self-esteem, and increase the appreciation for one’s education for all students. They try to make improvements by working on physical fitness, and incorporating lesson plans on healthy choices in nutrition, activities and lifestyles. SHF is specifically funding snowshoes, jump ropes, dumb bells, an upright bike, YMCA run registrations, certified workout instructors and day passes to the PEIF.
§ National Federation of the Blind of Michigan, Lansing, MI, $7,600: NEWSLINE is an online computer speech technology that reproduces the text of various national and local newspapers and transmits them over the telephone. This service is free to anyone who is legally blind. Its goal is to increase access to health information through NEWSLINE, recruit and train 100 Upper Peninsula residents who are blind or have low vision to use this service. SHF will provide funds to cover the project.
§ Omega House – Houghton, $6,385: Caring Hands is a professional therapeutic massage program that provides therapy to the terminally ill residents, and if time allows, to family members of the resident in the Houghton County area. SHF will provide funds to cover the cost of the massages.
§ Pathways – Marquette, $13,597.05: Pathways is implementing a new program called INSHAPE. The program is an evidence-based exercise/nutrition program for reducing cardiovascular risk factors in the adult seriously mentally ill population across the U.P. SHF has provided grant funds to cover the cost of the program.
§ U.P. Diabetes Outreach Network (UPDON – a program of UPCAP) – Marquette, $4,645: The Life Coach Training program will provide those who are pre-diabetic with better care and for those who are at-risk with increased knowledge to prevent them from becoming pre-diabetic. UPDON will bring pre-diabetes awareness, treatment, staff, ad placement, training and supplies across the U.P. for centers and organizations that serve seniors as a part of The Life Coach Training program. SHF will provide funds to the Life Coach Training.
§ U.P. Sports Training Camp – Marquette, $10,000: The sports training camp is a five-day traditional summer camp, emphasizing Special Olympic sports training instruction. It is attended by 30 cognitively, socially and physically disabled children and young adults from Marquette and Alger counties. SHF will provide funds to cover the equipment cost of the training.
§ Women’s Center, Inc. – Marquette, $5,475: The Women’s Center will provide nutritional food for survivors of domestic abuse at the Harbor House. Funds will bridge the shortfall between actual needs and donations provided, and continue to provide nutritional meals for women of the Marquette area. SHF will fund the equivalent of two people for a year.
§ YMCA – Summer Speech – Marquette, $5,000: The Summer Speech Program provides six to eight weeks of either individual or group therapy to the children between the ages of 3-12 years old. The therapy is helpful to continue gains made throughout the school year or to prevent regression. The children who come to the program are brought in based on recommendation for the school speech therapist. SHF will provide funds for the group therapy.
