The spirit of philanthropy is high in the Aspire community this winter as shown by the increase of awarded grants and donations made to fuel our work of empowering neurodiverse children and adults to grow, develop, and unlock their potential.
Kicking off the giving season, Aspire was thrilled to receive more than $8,300 in donations on Giving Tuesday to support personalized resources and enrichment activities for ALL Academy students after the Aspire Board of Directors provided a generous match of $3,200. And the support did not stop there!
The Aspire Winter Appeal has yielded more than $11,000 to empower Aspire educators in developing the tools and skills necessary for students to thrive. Donations have ranged from $5 to $1,500 including a $1,000 gift from the Society of Italian American Businessmen in Maryland as part of their Twelve Days of Christmas Giving.
The recent announcements of two grants awarded by local foundations have highlighted the need and impact of community support on vital projects. Adults in Massachusetts were able to weather the holiday storm at home thanks to a $4,000 grant from the Adelard A. and Valeda Lea Roy Foundation to offset the costs of installing backup generators.
“Because of the new generator, they were able to stay in their home and get the support they need for their activities and their health. Last year, we had to evacuate their home when the power went out, and they didn’t sleep at all. It was really hard on them,” said Francis Kusi Appiah, program director.
The Eventide Foundation granted $7,500 to support Aspire Delivers, the free, personal shopping service for homebound and elderly on the New Hampshire Seacoast. This vital service connects individuals to senior citizens and homebound people who need help with errands and deliveries. Individuals and direct support professionals provide this service, creating opportunities to learn social and daily living skills while helping seniors remain in their homes. This is the tenth consecutive year that the Eventide Foundation has made a grant to Aspire.
Program director Katie Kelly reports, “Everyone benefits from Aspire Delivers. The people doing the deliveries develop relationships with the seniors. Seniors rely on this service for everything from buying groceries, to picking up their medications, and going to the post office. One elder said to me ‘My prayers were answered!’.”
Aspire’s services are funded through the Medicaid program and local school districts. However, “the established rates for these services don’t cover the full cost of what we do, so Aspire counts on donors to help fulfill our mission. We are grateful to all donors for their generous support,” said CEO Lou Giramma.
If you’d like to help Aspire fulfill our mission, click here to donate today!