[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 30 (Thursday, March 7, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S1656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                            FAITH IN ACTION

 Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, I rise today to take a moment to 
praise a worthy nonprofit organization that is having a real impact on 
four communities in my home State of Maine. The organization is Faith 
in Action, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 
that in 1993 began providing technical assistance and startup grants to 
help develop interfaith volunteer projects that focus on helping those 
in need of care from the community.
  During the first 2 years of the program, Faith in Action limited its 
grants to faith coalitions--churches, temples, and synagogues--that 
wanted to begin volunteer care giving projects within their community A 
total of 800 such projects will be funded over 4 years of this 
initiative. In 1995, Faith In Action expanded its criteria, and now 
encourages health and social service agencies to join with 
congregations to develop new projects. Each approved coalition is 
awarded a $25,000 grant to assist people in the community of all ages 
who have special needs.
  Over the last year, these grants have helped fund important projects 
in four communities in Maine: Portland, Bangor, Richmond, and Lubec. In 
Bangor, two Faith in Action programs are up and running, providing the 
frail elderly residents in and around that city with a variety of 
assistance. Developed by St. Joseph Healthcare, in conjunction with 
area churches and synagogues, the project assesses the needs of elderly 
residents, particularly improving their access to quality health care. 
Volunteers provide transportation, home visits, help in meal 
preparation, light housekeeping or repairs in the home, and other 
services to assist the elderly who want to maintain some independence, 
but cannot do everything for themselves.
  A similar project is starting up in the small town of Richmond, where 
the grant money is being used to assist the homebound elderly with 
transportation, companionship, and other services. A new facility has 
opened in that town for those elderly residents who need some living 
assistance, but do not qualify for a nursing home. Some of the Faith in 
Action funds went toward the purchase of a van to help these residents 
get to and from the grocery store, pharmacy, and other errands. A grant 
in Portland is targeted for persons who have acquired brain injuries 
and will go toward meeting the special needs of that population. And 
far up the coast, in the town of Lubec, a Faith in Action grant is 
being used to help meet the needs of children, adults, and seniors who 
are receiving hospice care.
  The common link between all these projects, of course, is the members 
of the community reaching out to help those within their city or town 
who need their help. Faith in Action grants are rooted in voluntarism, 
and in linking the different religious communities within a city or 
town to work together to better serve the community. Only by working 
together can we solve some of the many problems within our cities and 
towns.
  As chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, I am extremely 
aware of the daunting demographics that we face in the coming decades. 
More than 33 million Americans are over the age of 65 today--a number 
that will double in the coming three decades. We need to prepare now to 
meet the needs of today's aging population. Faith in Action is an 
organization with the vision to meet that goal, by encouraging the 
diverse members of a community to work with one another to address the 
special needs of individuals within that community. We need to 
encourage more and more people to get involved in Faith in Action 
volunteer projects, or in any volunteer project at all. We can do so 
much for each other, even if it is only for a few hours each month.
  I congratulate the organizations in Maine that have already received 
Faith in Action grants and are putting them to such important use. I 
encourage other churches, synagogues, and temples in Maine and around 
the country to contact their local health and social service agencies 
and see if they can come up with a project that might serve the needs 
of the elderly or disabled in their community. Finally, I salute Faith 
in Action and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for their dedication 
to these projects--keep up the good work.

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