#04-123
May 14, 2004

Six organizations receive grants as Johnson & Johnson/Rosalynn Carter Institute Caregivers Program winners

Awards go to foster Intergenerational Caregiving programs

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.--Johnson & Johnson has announced the winners of the fourth Johnson & Johnson/Rosalynn Carter Institute Caregivers Program grant competition. As initiated last year, the focus of the proposed projects is intergenerational caregiving. Five organizations will receive a $30,000 grant from Johnson & Johnson and technical assistance provided by the Rosalynn Carter Institute. The sixth organization will receive a special Leadership Award and one time grant of $30,000. 

The program recognizes outstanding community organizations that assist and support people of all ages in caregiving roles. 

"The rapidly aging baby boomer population is creating a shortage of caring and competent caregivers for our future," said Laura J. Bauer, project director of the Johnson & Johnson/Rosalynn Carter Institute Caregivers Program. "Intergenerational caregiving programs create a safe learning environment for children and youth to become sensitized to the needs of elders at a young age, and have the added benefit of providing opportunity for meaningful relationships to develop between all age groups involved." 

A panel of national experts from several caregiving disciplines including gerontology, children, cancer, nursing, hospice and intergenerational advocacy and programming, selected the five organizations to receive the awards for intergenerational programs supporting caregivers. 

The winning organizations are: 

• Community Service Center, Gainesville, Ga.--their "Roots & Shoots" literacy program combines the wisdom, patience and grace of seniors with the openness, excitement and hunger for learning that is present in children. Under this grant, the Roots & Shoots program will begin the process of expanding from a two person volunteer project to a county-wide project that targets schools whose students are at the greatest risk of being left behind. 
• Petal Association for Families, Petal, Miss.--their "Project Grandfamilies Health Watchers" program is an intergenerational approach to improving the physical and mental health of caregiving grandparents and their grandchildren. Grandparents and grandchildren will participate in weekly exercise and information sessions and will follow an individualized plan for the remainder of the week. 
• Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey, Lakewood, N.J.--their "CaregiverKids Project" helps bridge the generations by providing meaningful opportunities for mutual understanding and caring between youth and the elderly. One of the goals of the replication project planned under this grant is to develop and produce a training video for instructors in schools and congregational settings to introduce and educate youth to the realities of the aging process. 
• Marilyn & Gordon Macklin Intergenerational Institute, Findlay, Ohio--their project's principal goal is to refine an existing co-located intergenerational environment of children and senior adults into an innovative "Family Room Approach." This interactive and relational milieu will heighten the social, physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual development of all participants, and will result in the development of a "How To" training for others to replicate the approach. 
• Family and Children's Services, Tulsa, Okla.--their principal purpose is to address the needs of low-income and at-risk intergenerational caregiving families by developing a curriculum designed to specifically target the concerns of these second generational parents. This curriculum will assist these grandparents and other relative caregivers in their struggles with school relationships, parenting expectations, additional financial burdens, and the loss of their own life plans. 

The Leadership Award will be presented to GENERATIONS UNITED, of Washington, DC. GENERATIONS UNITED (GU) is the only national membership organization focused solely on promoting intergenerational strategies, programs, and public policies. GU represents more than 100 national, state, and local organizations representing more than 70 million Americans and is the only national organization advocating for the mutual well-being of children, youth, and older adults. GU serves as a resource for educating policymakers and the public about the economic, social, and personal imperatives of intergenerational cooperation. GU provides a forum for those working with children, youth, and the elderly to explore areas of common ground while celebrating the richness of each generation. 

"The education young people learn in civility, compassion and caring is a matter too important to be left to chance. These are lessons taught from meaningful opportunities to befriend people in need and not necessarily out of textbooks or in classrooms," said Joanne Fillweber, manager of Medical Affairs & Corporate Contributions for Johnson & Johnson. "Through our caregivers program, it is our desire to honor those adults who model for young people the experiences like this in their own communities." 

The Johnson & Johnson/Rosalynn Carter Institute Caregivers Program's principal mission is to support organizations that improve the health and quality of life for persons of all ages who act as caregivers for chronically ill, disabled or elderly family members or friends. The partnership between the Rosalynn Carter Institute and Johnson & Johnson builds on the significant work accomplished by the RCI over the last decade as well as on the Credo of Johnson & Johnson to be "responsible to the communities in which we live and work," and to "encourage…better health and education." It is a unique business/academic partnership that addresses areas of need for caregivers through a Practice in Action component and a Science to Practice partnership. 

In addition to the grant component of the Johnson & Johnson/Rosalynn Carter Institute Caregivers Program, a second component, Science to Practice, involves expert panels that meet throughout the year to discuss issues facing the caregiving industry and develop a book series on the subject. Expert panel members are recruited from various organizations and are required to develop manuscripts based on their areas of expertise. 

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Human Development was formed in honor of First Lady Rosalynn Carter in 1987, and is based at her alma mater, Georgia Southwestern State University. Through research, education and training, the RCI promotes the mental health and well being of individuals, families and professional caregivers; encourages effective caregiving practices; builds public awareness of caregiving needs; and advances public and social policies that enhance caring communities. 

Johnson & Johnson is the world's most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products, as well as a provided of related services, for the consumer, pharmaceutical and medical devices and diagnostics markets. The company is headquartered in New Brunswick, N.J.

REPORTERS/EDITORS: 

For more information on the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Human Development (RCI) or its programs, call (229) 928-1234 or go online: www.RosalynnCarter.org.

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