Assisting Oregonians With Physical Disabilities Since 1981
Blanche Fischer Foundation
2011 Annual Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
We are very pleased to report that, during the calendar year 2011, Blanche Fischer Foundation distributed $37,909.66 toward the benefit of 70 Oregonians with disabilities. This means that for an average sum of $541.57, Oregonians as young as 4 and as old as 83, found themselves to be beneficiaries of life-changing devices and services, all of which broadened independence, lent to productivity and underscored pride for the people we serve.
Blanche Fischer Foundation is unique in its philanthropy because it is accessible to individuals seeking funding for something as simple as a hard-shell suitcase in order to transport braces and crutches to something as complex as a bathroom retrofit allows freedom of movement.
During the reporting year, the average age of recipients was 48 years old. Of 70 approved applicants, 41 were female and 29 were male. Eleven were 21 or younger and 33 were 55 or older.
The disability demographic that we served:
Cognitive disability: 7
Intellectual disability: 14
Diabetes: 13
Neurologic disability: 18
Sensory disability: 13
Ten of the requests were vocation-related and 17 were education-related.
You may note that all our numbers do not “add up.” This is because a number of our clients disclosed multiple disabilities; it is also because nearly half of them disclosed positive vocational and educational outcomes in tandem. Realizing that disabilities resist categorization, we are cognizant that the above disclosure is simplistic; it is in no way meant to insult or marginalize the people we serve.
During the reporting year, 72 applications were rejected. The majority of rejected applications were because:
1. They were out-of-state (and occasionally out of the country).
2. Their applications exceeded our ability to fund their needs.
3. They failed to include necessary documentation with their applications.
NO applications were rejected because the applicant made “too much money.”
We are pleased to introduce the Blanche Fischer Foundation Suggested Resources (included at the conclusion of this report). As we came to realize that our clientele was hungry for resources, we assembled the list that is certainly not all-inclusive, but is meant as a guide for people to use as their personal resource-development tool. The list undergoes constant editing and is in wide distribution among our clients and is also in popular request by partner, public and private agencies. This list is available, electronically and by mail, to whoever requests it.
We welcome you to read this report and to celebrate the accessibility that the Foundation facilitated in 2011. Regarding client feedback, we are proactive toward ameliorating situations that clients, both in writing and on the phone, have registered. Where improvement is suggested, we work toward correcting the situation(s).
OUR MISSION
To foster personal independence, the Foundation makes direct grants on behalf of Oregonians with physical disabilities.
BLANCHE FISCHER: HER WONDERFUL BEING AND LEGACY
Blanche Scroggins was born on November 7 in Long Creek, Oregon. Because she would never ask a lady’s age, we will not disclose the year of her birth. Blanche graduated from Long Creek High School and was, no doubt, a popular student. There is also no doubt that she was very bright.
As kids generally do, she left the small, rural town of Long Creek and moved “where the action is”—to the Willamette Valley. She married well when she wed Harvey Fischer in the ‘50s. Together, they built a successful real estate business and toggled their lives between Portland and Lincoln City. (While it remains unclear whether Harvey passed away or they divorced, Blanche eventually left Portland and chose to live the remainder of her life in her beachfront home in the Taft section of Lincoln City.)
She soon realized that the tiny Lincoln City Library needed more space, so she bought the library a “home” right down the street from her. It was there that the Driftwood Library remained until it moved to its present site in 1993. According to Sue Jenkins, former Library Director, Blanche would drop in at the library with frequency. Not surprisingly, Sue recollected that Blanche was dedicated, pragmatic, “a bit irreverent” and very funny. We encourage visits to the library at 801 NW Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City. What a wonderful legacy to Blanche! While you’re there, check out the Blanche Fischer Room.
It is a little known fact that Blanche Fischer was instrumental in the formation of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF). To this day, OCF operates behind a trust similar to the one that sustains the Foundation.
In the ‘70s, Blanche contacted Portland lawyer, Bill Shepherd, about preserving a portion of her wealth to benefit people with physical disabilities. Her reasoning behind this was she had a favorite mechanic who was an amputee.
Thirty years later, and the trust bearing her name lives on. If the Foundation did not judiciously protect this trust, it would be gone. This is why there is a $1000 cap on Foundation grants. It is also why we are asking our clientele to provide a “co-pay” or “in-kind contribution” to requested funding.
CO-PAY
Although it is recognized that the majority of the populace we serve fit into the “very low income” category, it is also a fact that the majority of them want to contribute as much as they can to the product/service they are requesting. The co-pay allows “ownership,” but it also lends satisfaction in knowing that their contribution means more people behind them are going to receive necessary help.
IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS
What a difference volunteers make! During the reporting year, it is estimated that the ramps and bathroom retrofits, funded at an average of $631, each would have cost each client easily four-six times our investment.
REORGANIZATION OF THE FOUNDATION
In 2010, Blanche Fischer Foundation underwent a broad and far-reaching reorganization. A new Board of Directors was formed. Upon the information of the Board, new Policies and Procedures were developed and adopted. As this report is being published, amended Bylaws were authorized by the Board of Directors.
As it was in the past, the Foundation has one paid employee. Kristi Svendsen is our Office Administrator. Our paid staff member is not a decision-maker, but is the gatekeeper/guide who is at the disposal of our clients. Besides working directly with clients and facilitating the ambitious schedule of our Grant Review Team (GRT), she maintains our Resource List.
BLANCHE FISCHER FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kirt Toombs, Ontario, President
Kirt began his disability-related service career in 1986, when he joined a company that assists seniors with activities of daily living and developed programs to enhance or maintain their independence. In 1990, he moved on to assisting individuals with multiple disabilities with transitioning from the state residential-based hospital to less restrictive community-based residential environments. In 1993, he started working with an organization that provided employment training for individuals with cognitive disabilities.
Kirt has been the Executive Director of Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living (EOCIL) since its inception in 2000. He is also a consultant toward leading, managing and turning around struggling nonprofit organizations.
Michael Millhollen, Lake Oswego, Vice-President/Treasurer
Michael is retired following a 32 year career at Oregon Health & Science University, primarily with the organ transplant program. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a degree in economics. He served on the board of the Oregon Donor Program from 1982 to 1988 and chaired the Board in 1985. He was a founding member of the Finance Committee of the United Network for Organ Sharing, the governing body in the field of organ transplantation in the US. He served as committee chair from 1996 to 1997 as well as chair of the regulatory affairs subcommittee from 2000 to 2003. As a retiree, he enjoys volunteering for Medical Teams NW and Blanche Fischer Foundation. He also is a singer with the Portland Opera chorus.
Tom Hays, Portland, Secretary
Tom, a Portland native, owns a Printing and Die cutting business in NW Portland and has spent over 40 years in the industry. Tom is a “volunteerism junkie” in that he has been involved with the following: Boy Scouts of America, Knights of Columbus of Oregon, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Yolanda House for battered women and St. Brigids House for Unwed mothers to name a few. He says that being Secretary to the Board helps him keep his volunteer activities “well-rounded.” Tom and his wife Diane have been married for 38 years and have three children and two grandchildren.
Ginny Baynes, Portland, Grant Review Chair
Throughout her life, Ginny has been involved in community service whether down the block or around the world. As a member of the Blanche Fischer Foundation, she is committed to helping people with disabilities live as independently as possible.
In addition to the Blanche Fischer Foundation, Ginny also serves on the Board of Water Project for Haiti and the Tualatin Hills Aquatics Advisory Board, in Portland. Ginny has also worked in marketing and public relations for several technology companies including CDC, Sequent Computer Systems and IBM. In 2006, Ginny developed and now manages the Anonymous Living Donation Program for the Pacific Northwest Transplant Bank in Oregon.
Patricia Alvarez, Central Point, Grant Review Vice-Chair
Patricia has been an advocate for the disability community her whole life and feels that serving on the Board of Directors of the Blanche Fischer Foundation is a privilege and just another way of giving back to the community.
Patricia is employed as a Special Projects Coordinator and ADA Consultant at HASL. Patricia is active in the local community as Chair of Disability Services Advisory Council/Rogue Valley Council of Governments, Vice Chair of Central Point Parks & Recreation Commission. She is also President of the Board of Directors of Clean Forest Project of Grants Pass. Patricia is a volunteer with Disability Abuse Response Team in Portland as a Disability Etiquette Consultant.
FOUNDATION STAFF
Kristi Svendsen, Beaverton, Office Administrator.
Kristi came to us from Bend, where she was with CORIL (now ABILITREE) for nearly 17 years. While there, she was a knowledgeable and dogged mentor/advocate for people with disabilities. She has been a contributing member to both the State Independent Living Council (SILC) and the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC).
She acquired a disability in 1982 and lays claim to having been a beneficiary of the Foundation in the late ‘80s. She remembers well the overwhelming sense of relief and thanksgiving that she felt when she received the notification of approval from Bill Shepherd, who was director of the Foundation at that time.
CRITERIA FOR APPLICATION
Must demonstrate all of the following:
1. Oregon residency.
2. Demonstration of financial need.
3. Have a disability of a physical nature.
Meeting the above criteria does not mean “automatic approval” of the application.
MAXIMUM GRANT AWARD
Our maximum award is $1000.
ORGANIZATIONAL GRANTS
The Foundation rarely entertains organizational grant applications.
PARTNERSHIPS
The Foundation values the partnerships forged during 2011. Among our partners are Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS), Newberg Habitat for Humanity, MS Society of Oregon, OHSU Family-to-Family Health Information Center, American Council for the Blind, Oregon Chapter, ABILITREE in Bend, Independent Living Resources (ILR) in Portland, Lane Independent Living Alliance (LILA) in Eugene, Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living (EOCIL) in Ontario, HASL in Grants Pass and Jacksonville Area Kiwanis.
Because of these partners, we are eager to forge more partnerships with other public benefit corporations, government agencies, service clubs and for-profit business.
VOLUNTEERS
Because of the observation of our grantees and the way(s) they would, with the help of volunteers, leverage their grant awards, our grantees and we very much appreciate volunteers. We offer our thanks, respect and gratitude for the hours of time that volunteers across this state gave to their friends, their neighbors, and even perfect strangers. To quote Daryl Fairrington with Jacksonville Area Kiwanis, “I could not abide someone being stuck in her home all because of a silly ramp—or should I say the lack of one?”
SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBSERVATIONS
The average income of people served during 2011 fell well-below the federal poverty limit. Individual incomes ranged from as little as $678/month (SSI—Supplemental Security Income) to as high as $1100 per month for people on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). We saw families of four living on as much/little as $1300/month.
We saw the majority of our applicants paying more than 50% of their income for shelter.
Many of our applicants are dependent on LIEAP (federally funded Low Income Energy Assistance Program) for assistance to pay their heating bills. Still, they are left bereft of resources to pay the power bills that LIEAP does not cover. Sadly, the Foundation cannot pay peoples’ energy bills. In 2011, we referred more than 75 people for alternative assistance.
REFERRALS AND FEEDBACK
Staff at the Foundation report that there is little resistance toward accepting referrals. People are not afraid of calling someone(s) who may help them organize and plan their lives. This is why we send them the Resource List that is headed by Centers for Independent Living (CILs) in Oregon. The Foundation feels very strongly that CILs and their influence are integral to the survival and autonomy of people with disabilities. We actively and enthusiastically endorse and appreciate Centers for Independent Living and the uncommon influence they effect on behalf of people with disabilities.
DONATIONS AND “RECYCLING”
The Foundation operates within the Blanche Fischer trust that was referenced earlier in this report. This does not mean that we cannot or will not accept cash donations. Since we are a federally recognized 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, we may accept your tax-deductible donation. Please call our office to learn how you may do this.
As important as cash donations, we urge our beneficiaries to call us before throwing away a piece of equipment provided by the Foundation. We mean goods that are no longer needed or used. We do not have warehousing space, but we may know of a direct transfer to another client!
If not that, we know the local nonprofits who will take the item off your hands. This is especially true of durable medical equipment (DME). (Examples of DMEs would include wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, lift-chairs, lift-equipped vans, etc.) We are all familiar with the soaring expense associated with DMEs as well as how impossibly limiting insurance companies are toward the purchase of them.
INDPENDENT LIVING PHILOSOPHY
Simply put, the Independent Living Philosophy is all about autonomy, independence and personal responsibility. This is to say that our Staff reports that the majority of calls she receives are not of the “HELP ME!” variety, but with the unspoken question, “How can I help myself?” She grants guidance on filling out the application, but so does she offer referrals for “how people can help themselves.” The advice and accompanying referrals may include calling more resources, but among the referrals she provides is to the Center for Independent Living (CIL) that serves their geographic area.
Further, the out-of-state calls (that are received at least twice/weekly) are referred to their nearby CILs. We not only give them the phone numbers, but we send them a print-out of CILs in their state.
Centers for Independent Living are lifeblood to people with disabilities. There are seven CILs in Oregon. They are listed in the Resource List at the conclusion of this report.
We are proud to serve Blanche’s legacy and are ever-vigilant to live up to the vision that she had when she met with Bill Shepherd over 30 years ago. We are proud that Blanche Fischer Foundation has survived into the 21st Century and are confident that 100 years from now, the Foundation will still be here making a difference in peoples’ lives.
STORIES OF SUCCESSFUL “BLANCHE-EES”
The following is only a representative sampling of the pure joy and success that Blanche Fischer Foundation effected in 2011
Because of the Foundation, MS Society, and the generosity of their daughter, Gary and Kathy got the scooters they needed for mobility and society in the small town in which they live. For the first time “in many years” they get to leave the house together. They now dine out and even participated in a parade last year!
Jeremy got a new bike! This is no ordinary bike, but one with three wheels that keeps him upright and traveling all over the Eugene-Springfield area. The bike gets him to work and to play! Of Blanche’s gift, Jeremy says “you helped enrich my growth.”
Patty was beside herself when she described the destruction of the entrance to her mobile home by wind as “railings to hang on to.” Because of the Foundation and a cadre of volunteers, Patty did not have to worry after all.
Only 6 years of age, David has the job of accommodating his disabilities and one of the necessary “accommodations” was a work table designed to fit around his wheelchair. Mom says, “Our son is extremely happy about his table. Thank you soooo much!”
Laurie’s travel around Portland was severely limited by the “staying power” of the batteries for her power chair. Because she had been shanghaied by the deadly click-click sound of a failed battery, her trips out were purposely short. Now, be on the lookout for her zooming out to the Oregon Coast!
Alzena was unable to get up out of her chair independent of help from her daughter. This meant that when daughter went off to work, she was as a prisoner in a reclining chair in front of the TV. To stave off this imprisonment, she would remain active and upright as long as she could, but would surely end up giving in to fatigue. The simple fix of a “lift chair” has lent new vitality and purpose to her life.
Rockell has a sobering story. At six weeks of age, she was the victim of “shaken baby syndrome.” We first learned about her when her mother applied to the Foundation for a device called the “Creepster Crawler.” At the age of four, this child was finally ready to begin to learn how to crawl and, with the help of Blanche, she is!
Pablo, having lived with his daughter after having multiple strokes, was threatened with removal to a nursing home because her home was not “accessible.” She, her five children and Pablo all share a mobile home. No ramp to the front door meant that he was not free to come and go as he wished. Most importantly, his personal safety was threatened by this lack of access. Kiwanis of Jacksonville and the Foundation partnered so that Pablo can stay home with his daughter and the grandchildren who adore him.
2011 Annual Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
We are very pleased to report that, during the calendar year 2011, Blanche Fischer Foundation distributed $37,909.66 toward the benefit of 70 Oregonians with disabilities. This means that for an average sum of $541.57, Oregonians as young as 4 and as old as 83, found themselves to be beneficiaries of life-changing devices and services, all of which broadened independence, lent to productivity and underscored pride for the people we serve.
Blanche Fischer Foundation is unique in its philanthropy because it is accessible to individuals seeking funding for something as simple as a hard-shell suitcase in order to transport braces and crutches to something as complex as a bathroom retrofit allows freedom of movement.
During the reporting year, the average age of recipients was 48 years old. Of 70 approved applicants, 41 were female and 29 were male. Eleven were 21 or younger and 33 were 55 or older.
The disability demographic that we served:
Cognitive disability: 7
Intellectual disability: 14
Diabetes: 13
Neurologic disability: 18
Sensory disability: 13
Ten of the requests were vocation-related and 17 were education-related.
You may note that all our numbers do not “add up.” This is because a number of our clients disclosed multiple disabilities; it is also because nearly half of them disclosed positive vocational and educational outcomes in tandem. Realizing that disabilities resist categorization, we are cognizant that the above disclosure is simplistic; it is in no way meant to insult or marginalize the people we serve.
During the reporting year, 72 applications were rejected. The majority of rejected applications were because:
1. They were out-of-state (and occasionally out of the country).
2. Their applications exceeded our ability to fund their needs.
3. They failed to include necessary documentation with their applications.
NO applications were rejected because the applicant made “too much money.”
We are pleased to introduce the Blanche Fischer Foundation Suggested Resources (included at the conclusion of this report). As we came to realize that our clientele was hungry for resources, we assembled the list that is certainly not all-inclusive, but is meant as a guide for people to use as their personal resource-development tool. The list undergoes constant editing and is in wide distribution among our clients and is also in popular request by partner, public and private agencies. This list is available, electronically and by mail, to whoever requests it.
We welcome you to read this report and to celebrate the accessibility that the Foundation facilitated in 2011. Regarding client feedback, we are proactive toward ameliorating situations that clients, both in writing and on the phone, have registered. Where improvement is suggested, we work toward correcting the situation(s).
OUR MISSION
To foster personal independence, the Foundation makes direct grants on behalf of Oregonians with physical disabilities.
BLANCHE FISCHER: HER WONDERFUL BEING AND LEGACY
Blanche Scroggins was born on November 7 in Long Creek, Oregon. Because she would never ask a lady’s age, we will not disclose the year of her birth. Blanche graduated from Long Creek High School and was, no doubt, a popular student. There is also no doubt that she was very bright.
As kids generally do, she left the small, rural town of Long Creek and moved “where the action is”—to the Willamette Valley. She married well when she wed Harvey Fischer in the ‘50s. Together, they built a successful real estate business and toggled their lives between Portland and Lincoln City. (While it remains unclear whether Harvey passed away or they divorced, Blanche eventually left Portland and chose to live the remainder of her life in her beachfront home in the Taft section of Lincoln City.)
She soon realized that the tiny Lincoln City Library needed more space, so she bought the library a “home” right down the street from her. It was there that the Driftwood Library remained until it moved to its present site in 1993. According to Sue Jenkins, former Library Director, Blanche would drop in at the library with frequency. Not surprisingly, Sue recollected that Blanche was dedicated, pragmatic, “a bit irreverent” and very funny. We encourage visits to the library at 801 NW Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City. What a wonderful legacy to Blanche! While you’re there, check out the Blanche Fischer Room.
It is a little known fact that Blanche Fischer was instrumental in the formation of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF). To this day, OCF operates behind a trust similar to the one that sustains the Foundation.
In the ‘70s, Blanche contacted Portland lawyer, Bill Shepherd, about preserving a portion of her wealth to benefit people with physical disabilities. Her reasoning behind this was she had a favorite mechanic who was an amputee.
Thirty years later, and the trust bearing her name lives on. If the Foundation did not judiciously protect this trust, it would be gone. This is why there is a $1000 cap on Foundation grants. It is also why we are asking our clientele to provide a “co-pay” or “in-kind contribution” to requested funding.
CO-PAY
Although it is recognized that the majority of the populace we serve fit into the “very low income” category, it is also a fact that the majority of them want to contribute as much as they can to the product/service they are requesting. The co-pay allows “ownership,” but it also lends satisfaction in knowing that their contribution means more people behind them are going to receive necessary help.
IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS
What a difference volunteers make! During the reporting year, it is estimated that the ramps and bathroom retrofits, funded at an average of $631, each would have cost each client easily four-six times our investment.
REORGANIZATION OF THE FOUNDATION
In 2010, Blanche Fischer Foundation underwent a broad and far-reaching reorganization. A new Board of Directors was formed. Upon the information of the Board, new Policies and Procedures were developed and adopted. As this report is being published, amended Bylaws were authorized by the Board of Directors.
As it was in the past, the Foundation has one paid employee. Kristi Svendsen is our Office Administrator. Our paid staff member is not a decision-maker, but is the gatekeeper/guide who is at the disposal of our clients. Besides working directly with clients and facilitating the ambitious schedule of our Grant Review Team (GRT), she maintains our Resource List.
BLANCHE FISCHER FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kirt Toombs, Ontario, President
Kirt began his disability-related service career in 1986, when he joined a company that assists seniors with activities of daily living and developed programs to enhance or maintain their independence. In 1990, he moved on to assisting individuals with multiple disabilities with transitioning from the state residential-based hospital to less restrictive community-based residential environments. In 1993, he started working with an organization that provided employment training for individuals with cognitive disabilities.
Kirt has been the Executive Director of Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living (EOCIL) since its inception in 2000. He is also a consultant toward leading, managing and turning around struggling nonprofit organizations.
Michael Millhollen, Lake Oswego, Vice-President/Treasurer
Michael is retired following a 32 year career at Oregon Health & Science University, primarily with the organ transplant program. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon with a degree in economics. He served on the board of the Oregon Donor Program from 1982 to 1988 and chaired the Board in 1985. He was a founding member of the Finance Committee of the United Network for Organ Sharing, the governing body in the field of organ transplantation in the US. He served as committee chair from 1996 to 1997 as well as chair of the regulatory affairs subcommittee from 2000 to 2003. As a retiree, he enjoys volunteering for Medical Teams NW and Blanche Fischer Foundation. He also is a singer with the Portland Opera chorus.
Tom Hays, Portland, Secretary
Tom, a Portland native, owns a Printing and Die cutting business in NW Portland and has spent over 40 years in the industry. Tom is a “volunteerism junkie” in that he has been involved with the following: Boy Scouts of America, Knights of Columbus of Oregon, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Yolanda House for battered women and St. Brigids House for Unwed mothers to name a few. He says that being Secretary to the Board helps him keep his volunteer activities “well-rounded.” Tom and his wife Diane have been married for 38 years and have three children and two grandchildren.
Ginny Baynes, Portland, Grant Review Chair
Throughout her life, Ginny has been involved in community service whether down the block or around the world. As a member of the Blanche Fischer Foundation, she is committed to helping people with disabilities live as independently as possible.
In addition to the Blanche Fischer Foundation, Ginny also serves on the Board of Water Project for Haiti and the Tualatin Hills Aquatics Advisory Board, in Portland. Ginny has also worked in marketing and public relations for several technology companies including CDC, Sequent Computer Systems and IBM. In 2006, Ginny developed and now manages the Anonymous Living Donation Program for the Pacific Northwest Transplant Bank in Oregon.
Patricia Alvarez, Central Point, Grant Review Vice-Chair
Patricia has been an advocate for the disability community her whole life and feels that serving on the Board of Directors of the Blanche Fischer Foundation is a privilege and just another way of giving back to the community.
Patricia is employed as a Special Projects Coordinator and ADA Consultant at HASL. Patricia is active in the local community as Chair of Disability Services Advisory Council/Rogue Valley Council of Governments, Vice Chair of Central Point Parks & Recreation Commission. She is also President of the Board of Directors of Clean Forest Project of Grants Pass. Patricia is a volunteer with Disability Abuse Response Team in Portland as a Disability Etiquette Consultant.
FOUNDATION STAFF
Kristi Svendsen, Beaverton, Office Administrator.
Kristi came to us from Bend, where she was with CORIL (now ABILITREE) for nearly 17 years. While there, she was a knowledgeable and dogged mentor/advocate for people with disabilities. She has been a contributing member to both the State Independent Living Council (SILC) and the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC).
She acquired a disability in 1982 and lays claim to having been a beneficiary of the Foundation in the late ‘80s. She remembers well the overwhelming sense of relief and thanksgiving that she felt when she received the notification of approval from Bill Shepherd, who was director of the Foundation at that time.
CRITERIA FOR APPLICATION
Must demonstrate all of the following:
1. Oregon residency.
2. Demonstration of financial need.
3. Have a disability of a physical nature.
Meeting the above criteria does not mean “automatic approval” of the application.
MAXIMUM GRANT AWARD
Our maximum award is $1000.
ORGANIZATIONAL GRANTS
The Foundation rarely entertains organizational grant applications.
PARTNERSHIPS
The Foundation values the partnerships forged during 2011. Among our partners are Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS), Newberg Habitat for Humanity, MS Society of Oregon, OHSU Family-to-Family Health Information Center, American Council for the Blind, Oregon Chapter, ABILITREE in Bend, Independent Living Resources (ILR) in Portland, Lane Independent Living Alliance (LILA) in Eugene, Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living (EOCIL) in Ontario, HASL in Grants Pass and Jacksonville Area Kiwanis.
Because of these partners, we are eager to forge more partnerships with other public benefit corporations, government agencies, service clubs and for-profit business.
VOLUNTEERS
Because of the observation of our grantees and the way(s) they would, with the help of volunteers, leverage their grant awards, our grantees and we very much appreciate volunteers. We offer our thanks, respect and gratitude for the hours of time that volunteers across this state gave to their friends, their neighbors, and even perfect strangers. To quote Daryl Fairrington with Jacksonville Area Kiwanis, “I could not abide someone being stuck in her home all because of a silly ramp—or should I say the lack of one?”
SOCIO-ECONOMIC OBSERVATIONS
The average income of people served during 2011 fell well-below the federal poverty limit. Individual incomes ranged from as little as $678/month (SSI—Supplemental Security Income) to as high as $1100 per month for people on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). We saw families of four living on as much/little as $1300/month.
We saw the majority of our applicants paying more than 50% of their income for shelter.
Many of our applicants are dependent on LIEAP (federally funded Low Income Energy Assistance Program) for assistance to pay their heating bills. Still, they are left bereft of resources to pay the power bills that LIEAP does not cover. Sadly, the Foundation cannot pay peoples’ energy bills. In 2011, we referred more than 75 people for alternative assistance.
REFERRALS AND FEEDBACK
Staff at the Foundation report that there is little resistance toward accepting referrals. People are not afraid of calling someone(s) who may help them organize and plan their lives. This is why we send them the Resource List that is headed by Centers for Independent Living (CILs) in Oregon. The Foundation feels very strongly that CILs and their influence are integral to the survival and autonomy of people with disabilities. We actively and enthusiastically endorse and appreciate Centers for Independent Living and the uncommon influence they effect on behalf of people with disabilities.
DONATIONS AND “RECYCLING”
The Foundation operates within the Blanche Fischer trust that was referenced earlier in this report. This does not mean that we cannot or will not accept cash donations. Since we are a federally recognized 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, we may accept your tax-deductible donation. Please call our office to learn how you may do this.
As important as cash donations, we urge our beneficiaries to call us before throwing away a piece of equipment provided by the Foundation. We mean goods that are no longer needed or used. We do not have warehousing space, but we may know of a direct transfer to another client!
If not that, we know the local nonprofits who will take the item off your hands. This is especially true of durable medical equipment (DME). (Examples of DMEs would include wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, lift-chairs, lift-equipped vans, etc.) We are all familiar with the soaring expense associated with DMEs as well as how impossibly limiting insurance companies are toward the purchase of them.
INDPENDENT LIVING PHILOSOPHY
Simply put, the Independent Living Philosophy is all about autonomy, independence and personal responsibility. This is to say that our Staff reports that the majority of calls she receives are not of the “HELP ME!” variety, but with the unspoken question, “How can I help myself?” She grants guidance on filling out the application, but so does she offer referrals for “how people can help themselves.” The advice and accompanying referrals may include calling more resources, but among the referrals she provides is to the Center for Independent Living (CIL) that serves their geographic area.
Further, the out-of-state calls (that are received at least twice/weekly) are referred to their nearby CILs. We not only give them the phone numbers, but we send them a print-out of CILs in their state.
Centers for Independent Living are lifeblood to people with disabilities. There are seven CILs in Oregon. They are listed in the Resource List at the conclusion of this report.
We are proud to serve Blanche’s legacy and are ever-vigilant to live up to the vision that she had when she met with Bill Shepherd over 30 years ago. We are proud that Blanche Fischer Foundation has survived into the 21st Century and are confident that 100 years from now, the Foundation will still be here making a difference in peoples’ lives.
STORIES OF SUCCESSFUL “BLANCHE-EES”
The following is only a representative sampling of the pure joy and success that Blanche Fischer Foundation effected in 2011
Because of the Foundation, MS Society, and the generosity of their daughter, Gary and Kathy got the scooters they needed for mobility and society in the small town in which they live. For the first time “in many years” they get to leave the house together. They now dine out and even participated in a parade last year!
Jeremy got a new bike! This is no ordinary bike, but one with three wheels that keeps him upright and traveling all over the Eugene-Springfield area. The bike gets him to work and to play! Of Blanche’s gift, Jeremy says “you helped enrich my growth.”
Patty was beside herself when she described the destruction of the entrance to her mobile home by wind as “railings to hang on to.” Because of the Foundation and a cadre of volunteers, Patty did not have to worry after all.
Only 6 years of age, David has the job of accommodating his disabilities and one of the necessary “accommodations” was a work table designed to fit around his wheelchair. Mom says, “Our son is extremely happy about his table. Thank you soooo much!”
Laurie’s travel around Portland was severely limited by the “staying power” of the batteries for her power chair. Because she had been shanghaied by the deadly click-click sound of a failed battery, her trips out were purposely short. Now, be on the lookout for her zooming out to the Oregon Coast!
Alzena was unable to get up out of her chair independent of help from her daughter. This meant that when daughter went off to work, she was as a prisoner in a reclining chair in front of the TV. To stave off this imprisonment, she would remain active and upright as long as she could, but would surely end up giving in to fatigue. The simple fix of a “lift chair” has lent new vitality and purpose to her life.
Rockell has a sobering story. At six weeks of age, she was the victim of “shaken baby syndrome.” We first learned about her when her mother applied to the Foundation for a device called the “Creepster Crawler.” At the age of four, this child was finally ready to begin to learn how to crawl and, with the help of Blanche, she is!
Pablo, having lived with his daughter after having multiple strokes, was threatened with removal to a nursing home because her home was not “accessible.” She, her five children and Pablo all share a mobile home. No ramp to the front door meant that he was not free to come and go as he wished. Most importantly, his personal safety was threatened by this lack of access. Kiwanis of Jacksonville and the Foundation partnered so that Pablo can stay home with his daughter and the grandchildren who adore him.
Copyright ©2012 Blanche Fischer Foundation. All rights reserved.