Today, Congressman Pete Visclosky announced that the United Way of Porter County received a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The grant will allow the United Way of Porter County to expand its SeniorCorps program, which currently serves Porter County, into Lake, La Porte, and Starke Counties as well.
The grant will allow the United Way to support programs that will benefit Northwest Indiana residents. With an estimated 300 additional volunteers, United Way of Porter County estimates that it will be able to help 540 area pre-school students achieve improvements in development and preparedness for school, 360 veterans and their families receive services, 2,400 older adults and people with disabilities receive nutritious meals, and 5,000 students receive tutoring and mentoring, among countless other benefits.
United Way of Porter County President Sharon Kish said, “We are thrilled that these dollars have been awarded to the United Way of Porter County, so that we may continue to expand our SeniorCorps programs. We are very grateful to Congressman Visclosky and his office for their tireless efforts on our behalf.”
Congressman Visclosky said, “Each of us has an obligation to leave Northwest Indiana better than we found it, and none of us understand that fact better than our seniors do. I am grateful that the United Way of Porter County has received this grant, as it will facilitate our seniors’ efforts to stay involved in our communities.”
CNCS estimates that 18.7 million seniors – almost 25 percent of the population of adults aged 55 and over – contributed on average more than three billion hours of service in the years between 2008 and 2010. SeniorCorps helps older adults find suitable opportunities to volunteer in their communities.
The grant to the Porter County United Way totals $157,500.