2008 ANNUAL REPORT
Public Education:
Rehabilitation not Incarceration! Funding Public Services Enhances Public Safety.
Welcome to Gray PantherÕs August 17th 2008 Annual Meeting ÒRehabilitation, not Incarceration! Funding Public Services Enhances Public Safety.Ó Because public education and information exchange is a major programmatic goal, we offer educational forums. GP builds upon the information and collective will of those attending to pursue our advocacy and change agenda. Thanks for being a big part of our effort to focus on reordering budget priorities to put people first at federal, state, and local levels! For forum follow-up information, contact David Kobierowski or Bonny Gardner at 458-3738.
Improving Access to Health Care in Texas
At the 2007 Annual Meeting ÒImproving Access to Health Care in Texas,Ó Austin Gray Panthers launched a year-long Access to Health Care focus in partnership with Health Care For All Texas. A second Health Care For All Texas Forum was sponsored with GP support March 29, at First Methodist Family Life Center. GP and HCFAT are working for a health care bill to pass in the 2009 Texas Legislative session. This month, Austin became the first city in Texas to endorse single-payer universal health insurance for the nation. To volunteer with health care advocacy, contact Mary Cullinane at 458-3738 or Ed Kopas at hcfataustin@gmail.com.
A Place to do Homework: Housing and Education
Gray Panthers were pleased to help HousingWorks in November 2007 offer a half-day summit exploring the interaction between school success and affordable housing in the Austin community. One break-out session focused on countering gang activities with after-school programs. The positive emphasis yielded funding to encourage after school programs in connection with public safety. A follow-up summit is scheduled for occur November 15, 2008. For more information, contact Kathy Tyler or Clint Smith at 458-3738.
Mental Health
Continuing to follow up on GP's 2006 forum topic, Dr. Bonny Gardner brought together representatives of the APD Crisis Intervention Team, the Travis County Crisis Intervention Team, MH-MR programs, the Texas Suicide Prevention Council, the Constable's Offices, and other human service agencies in a panel sponsored by Capital Area Psychological Association on "Access to Psychiatric Emergency Services.Ó For more information, contact Bonny Gardner at 458-3738.
Education + Service:
Validation,¨ a method to enhance interaction with persons experiencing dementia
Seventy-five persons attended the November 2007 Validation Workshop, led by Vicki de Klerk Rubin, manager of the European Validation Association and an International Validation Master. Validation¨ is a method of relating that enhances interaction with persons experiencing dementia. The training is especially helpful to caregivers and others who have frequent contact with anyone experiencing dementia.
Thanks to the efforts of volunteer Laura Sanders and other GP volunteers, Gray Panthers is establishing a Validation Center for Dementia Communication in Austin to offer an official Validation Worker certification course. The course will consist of five 2-day workshops over the course of year, with hands-on practice in the techniques required in the weeks between workshops. Vicki de Klerk Rubin has agreed to instruct the course. To help in establish the new nonprofit organization or help with 2009 Validation activities, contact Paula Mixson at 458-3738.
Gray PanthersÕ Guide for Care Givers
We exhausted our supply of the 8th edition of the Gray PanthersÕ Guide for Care Givers (3,000 copies!), a critical tool that informs residents of city, county, and private resources available within our community. The 9th edition is almost ready for printing and we are gearing up for distribution in 2008-09. Copies will be free but GP welcomes donations. GP once again thanks the Hammil Foundation for printing the Guide. To order new books or help with distribution, contact Paula Traffas at 458-3738.
Prowling (Advocacy) Efforts and Results:
Gray Panthers participates in the following coalitions and associations: ADAPT, Austin Area Human Services Association; Austinites Lobbying for Municipal Accountability; the Coalition for Visitability in Austin; Community Action Network; Community Shares of Texas; HousingWorks; MayorÕs Mental Health Task Force Monitoring Committee, National Silver Haired Legislature, Texas Senior Advocacy Coalition, and Texas Silver Haired Legislature.
Advocacy Results since August 2007 are numerous:
1. More funding in Travis County to address emergency mental health issues.
2. Restoration of the Housing Trust Fund and other social services in the City of Austin 2009 budget process.
3. Health care bill to be considered by Texas Legislature (see http://www.healthcareforalltexas.org).
4. Upon GP & HCFAT urging, Austin became the first city in Texas to endorse single-payer universal health insurance for the nation. The City Council voted to endorse HR 676, currently before Congress, that will expand and reform Medicare to provide every American with comprehensive health insurance covering all medically-necessary treatment.
5. Congressman Lloyd Doggett introduced the National Silver Alert Act and is conducting Congressional hearings beginning in September, with the first to occur in Washington DC. GPs nationally plan to be heard and we salute Representative DoggettÕs initiative. Austin GPs were instrumental in supporting the process to engage Congressional sponsors and will continue to actively support it through upcoming national hearings.
6. Additional after-school programs were opened in connection with Austin Public Safety to combat teenage gang activities.
7. Medicare payment cuts have to date been prevented in Congress.
8. Capital Metro will not raise fares for seniors and people with disabilities, consistent with feedback provided to Capital Metro during a presentation at a GP Board meeting in June.
9. GPs were represented by GP Dr. Bonny Gardner at the MayorÕs Mental Health Task Force Monitoring Committee which meets monthly. She also published two articles presenting evidence of the need for psychiatric emergency services funds, and represented Austin GPs on a panel regarding suicide prevention issues, which was sponsored by the Texas Suicide Prevention Council.
10. Paula Mixson represented the GPs at the Coalition for VisitabilityÕs press conference in front of City Hall on June 17. GPs advocated that the City Building Code include ÒVisitability standardsÓ to make single family houses and duplexes more universally usable. The City adopted some but not all of the recommendations.
2008 Organizational Accomplishments
1. ÒGray Panthers of Austin on the ProwlÓ bumper stickers were issued for sale for $1 each.
2. Family Eldercare, Lyons Gardens Resident Association, and Austin GPs honored the life of Mrs. Alyce Doggett with a tree planted near another tree honoring Dr. Lloyd Doggett, Sr., on the grounds of Lyons Gardens Senior Housing in East Austin. A reception followed the tree planting memorial in the lobby of Lyons Gardens on December 16.
3. GP swapped office space with Travis County Audubon. GP is now conveniently located on the first floor of the Age Building. The move resulted in a slightly lower rent and saves GPs $35 a month.
4. The office move was also a motivation to better organize and consolidate office files. Some archived files were sent to the Austin History Center. Use the AHC and Austin Library catalogue to locate GP resources, including past editions of the Caregiver Manuals.
5. Clint Smith was elected to serve as the regional representative to the National GP Board of directors. He attended the March board meeting in Washington DC and plans to attend the board meeting and national conference September 25-28 in Detroit. Austin GPs helped Clint with a portion of his expenses to travel to the meetings.
6. GP volunteers conducted ongoing business activities: we maintained an active board and executive committee, conducted monthly board meetings, prepared monthly financial statements, filed our IRS 990 report; mailed an annual update and an appeal letter to GP membership; and contributed AustinÕs annual financial membership gift to national Gray Panthers.
7. All activities were achieved without paid staff to help coordinate volunteer activity. With the passing of beloved Jeannette Payne, we lost the most recent person to serve GP in a paid staff role.
2007-08 Special Thanks and Recognitions to GP Volunteers
To all our volunteers, named and unnamed, who are the work and spirit of Gray PanthersÉCharlotte Flynn, longtime GP voice and face of GP, Clint Smith, who seems to bi-locate multiple times a day to advocate for services and safety; Paula Mixson, our most recent Convener, who continues (along with Clint) to clock in the most GP hours; our diligent office volunteers Jane Basey, Cris Cunningham, Clint Smith, Paula Mixson, and Alison Dieter, who also leads the phone tree, sends email alerts, and chairs GPs legislative initiatives; Validation organizer Laura Saunders; Dick Collins, editor extraordinaire; Dr. Bonny Gardner and David Kobierowski for organizing August forum speakers; Paula Traffas for editing the newest caregiver guide; Mary Cullinane for tracking finances, Kathy Tyler for her overall leadership; Gary Dugger for imaginative bumper stickers and storing GPs documents; all board members for continued service and every detail of work; Karen Langley, longtime Family Eldercare partner who was recently featured in Austin Woman.
Our hearts go out to Alison Dieter for the loss of her great grandchild, and all other Panthers who have recently lost loved ones.
Gray Panthers board meets the second Tuesday of the month, 6:30 PM, at Family Eldercare, 2210 Hancock Dr. Please feel free to join us (please check in advance; call 458-3738 or email , to ensure meeting arrangements have not changed).
Visit Gray PantherÕs website at www.graypanthers.org and click on Austin chapter.
Financial Report – we did a lot with a little!
Jan-Dec 2007 |
Jan-Jul 2008 |
|||||||
Unrestricted Revenue |
Contributions (includes Validation sponsors) |
6,066 |
2,076 |
|||||
Interest Income |
63 |
32 |
||||||
Other Income (dues, activity revenue, misc.) |
6,039 |
2,432 |
||||||
Total Revenue |
12,788 |
4,540 |
||||||
Expense |
Public Education |
5,805 |
||||||
Validation Workshops |
3,595 |
|||||||
Management and general |
2,268 |
|||||||
Total Expense |
11,668 |
6,044 |
||||||
Change in Net Assets |
1,120 |
<1,504> |
||||||
Net Assets Beginning of Year |
12,143 |
13,263 |
||||||
Net Assets End of Year |
6,231 |
4,727 |
as of 6/30 |
|||||
Total assets |
13,263 |
11,068 |
||||||
Ways to support Gray Panthers to Put ÒAge & Youth in ActionÓ
1. Volunteer – call the Gray Panthers office (458-3738) or sign up on a sign in sheet circulating at this meeting
2. Become a member & renew membership annually
3. Donate additional funds as you are able
4. Attend annual meeting, forums, workshops, fundraisers, and holiday party
5. Educate and advocate for issues consistent with Gray Panthers peace and justice values
6. If you shop at RandallÕs grocery, register for the Ògood neighbor program.Ó Add Gray Panthers (#272) to your RandallÕs card and show it when you make purchases. Safeway contributes to Gray Panthers based on the cumulative amount purchased at RandallÕs.
7. Consider bequeathing to GP. One possibility is to set up a donor account at Austin Community Foundation, which pays competitive interest rates to persons over 80. Upon the donorÕs death, the balance is contributed to the charity chosen by the donor.
8. Contribute books at todayÕs event.
Saving lives saves money: and investing in Human Potential may be THE most cost-effective means of achieving higher productivity - through economic & social Equity!