| Organization information | |
|---|---|
| Organization Name | Wings Home |
| Please tell us the amount of funding you are requesting Aware to raise for your organization from the Aware annual fundraising event. | $10,000 |
| If your organization received Aware funding in the previous years, how many clients were serviced and/or how many services were provided with those funds. If you receive Aware funding this current year, how many clients will be serviced and/or how many services will be provided with these funds? | Wings Home received $4,200 in 2021 ($2,500 in January and $1,700 in November). This provided 32 days of care, free of charge, for patients in their last weeks or days of life. |
| Please provide a listing of the Officers and Board members of your organization. | Mallory Smith Rimkus, President |
| Your Contact Information | Amy Chestnut |
| Phone | 269-686-8659 |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Scoring Criteria | |
| 1. Description of the Organization (maximum 5 points, please limit to ½ pages) | Wings Home provides compassionate care for Wings of Hope Hospice patients in their last six weeks of life. There is no cost to live at Wings Home. The objective is to provide quality care in a safe environment for every patient who needs it. Patients may no longer have anyone to care for them, cannot afford to pay for care or may have nowhere else to go. Wings Home is a 4-bedroom, ranch-style home where around the clock care is provided by trained staff and volunteers. Caregivers prepare meals and beverages, feed the patient, change briefs, do laundry, help with medications, read and sit with patients. The Wings Home provides support, comfort and safety for the patient as well as their family. As the only end of life care home in Allegan, Ottawa or Van Buren Counties, Wings Home is an irreplaceable asset to its community. Since opening in 2010, over 1,100 patients have been cared for along with their families. We believe that everyone, regardless of their financial/social/emotional situation, sexual orientation or gender identity deserves compassionate care at the end of life, the minimizing of suffering and a death that is as comfortable as possible. Individuals served by Wings of Hope Hospice who may be in their last six weeks of life are eligible to stay at Wings Home. |
| 2. Funding Request (maximum 35 points, total, please limit to 1 page) | Funding is being requested from West Shore Aware for caregiver wages which make up 70% of the organization’s budget. The sole purpose of the Wings Home is to provide care to dying individuals. This includes all the care that a family would provide a loved one: meal preparation, changing briefs, helping with medication, cleaning, laundry and providing emotional support to the patient as well as the patient’s family. Our objectives are to provide good, quality care in a safe environment with the privacy needed by the patient. Our caregivers strive to be helpful and welcoming to all patients, their families and visitors. If families are willing to recommend Wings Home to others, we believe we have achieved our objectives. |
| 3. Funding Justification (maximum 40 points, please limit to 1 page) | Funding from West Shore Aware would pay for part of the project. Funds are also raised from two direct mail appeals, memorial/business/individual/church donations, special events and other grant requests. The home receives no government or insurance funding and relies entirely on community support. This includes donations (38%), events (18%), events by others (8%) and grants such as from West Shore Aware (36%). Wings Home is committed to securing the necessary funding for our program by persistently advancing our fundraising efforts, executing our comprehensive Development Plan and seeking out additional grant opportunities as needed. We will also continue to recruit passionate volunteers, leveraging their skills as trained caregivers to maximize our efforts. In 2024, our dedicated volunteers contributed over 1,500 hours of care, a contribution valued at approximately $24,000. Their extraordinary support is a testament to our mission and dedication to providing compassionate care to those in need. |
| 4. Summary | As individuals approach the end of their lives, their need for hands-on care intensifies. For families who live far away, are already exhausted from caregiving, or are in fragile health themselves, this can be an overwhelming burden. Trained staff and volunteers provide the loving care that one’s family would provide. Individuals may also not be able to afford traditional hospice facilities, which can range from $250 to $400 per day. Wings Home is provided at no cost to the patient or their family. Located in Allegan, Wings Home offers a safe, compassionate and supportive haven for patients and their families. This 4-bedroom, ranch-style home provides care to patients in their final weeks or days, completely free of charge. Since 2010, Wings Home has supported over 1,100 individuals, ensuring that each person, regardless of their financial, social, or emotional situation, sexual orientation, or gender identity, receives the compassionate, dignified care they deserve at the end of life. All of this is not possible without the generosity of our community. Wings Home receives no government/insurance money. To continue our mission, we are requesting a $10,000 grant from West Shore Aware. This would cover approximately 52 days of care, ensuring that more individuals can spend their final weeks, days or hours peacefully and surrounded by those they love. |
| Application Agreement | This is an application, otherwise known as a Request for Funding (RFF), from
West Shore Aware. This RFF is a request from your organization to Aware, for Aware to host a
Fundraising Event for your organization. By completing this RFF, your organization is requesting to be considered by Aware’s membership for an Aware fundraising event to be held during the summer of this year, also known as the White Party.
If your organization is chosen for a fundraising event by the Aware membership, your organization will agree to the following terms and conditions for the said fundraising event. 1. Aware will be given and provided full credit for the fundraising event in all of you organization’s publicity and advertising for said event, to include but not limited to event posters, newspaper advertising, handouts, radio and television advertising for the event, and organizational announcements concerning the event. 2. Your organization will only use the funds raised by Aware from said event for the purpose described in the RFF submitted to Aware. 3. Your organization understands that West Shore Aware is a philanthropic organization of LBGTQ+ individuals and their supporters, and that the funds your organization receives from Aware will be coming from the West Michigan lakeshore community. 4. The funds received from Aware as a result of the fundraising event will be net, after expenses for said fundraising event are paid. 5. Aware may use the name of your organization in its own advertising and publicity as a recipient of funds.. 6. Your organization will supply Aware with written approval to hold, or be part of a fundraising event held by Aware. 7. West Shore Aware reserves the right to audit any organization that receives funding to determine whether the funds were used as described in its RFF. 8. Your organization will allow West Shore Aware to use you organization’s name on the West Shore Aware website. In addition, if your organization has a website, you will link that website to the West Shore Aware website and allow West Shore Aware to link to your organization’s site. West Shore Aware’s web site link must remain on your web site for a full year from the date of the monetary disbursement. Failure to do so will disqualify you from requesting future funding. Once you have completed the RFF and agreed to the aforementioned, please submit it. Please sign this document below, indicating acceptance of the aforementioned terms and conditions. By signing the document, you acknowledge your organization is a registered 501(C) 3 Charitable organization. |
| Signature | |
| Date | 03/21/2025 |
| Ready to Submit |
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