Indian River Community Foundation

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Weekly Insights: Scholarship Foundation of Indian River County

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41.4% of adults above age 24 in Indian River County have a high school diploma or less. The Scholarship Foundation of Indian River County is helping to increase the amount of high schoolers going to college by offering hope, encouragement and scholarship opportunities to local students with financial need who demonstrate the desire and academic ability to succeed in pursuing a post-secondary education. The organization awards two to four-year scholarships to local students who meet academic requirements and demonstrate college readiness. Scholarships awarded range from $2,000 to $30,000 and since 1965, the organization has awarded over $13.4 million to 3,025 Indian River County students.

Weekly Insights works in conjunction with Indian River Indicators. Indian River Indicators was launched in June 2021 and originated after the completion of the 2019 Indian River Community Needs Assessment. It provides key data and information about our community that is updated annually and can be used to support and sustain proven programs. It can also be used by community leaders to develop policy, promote promising practices and inspire innovation that can lead to solutions to persistent community challenges. Indian River Community Foundation holds monthly informational sessions to introduce the community to this new resource. The next session will be held on Tuesday, February 1st at 4pm via zoom. Please email Foundation Coordinator, Chiaka Nwosu, at chiaka@ircommunityfoundation.org to attend a session.

To learn more visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org and click “Indian River Indicators” or contact a member of the Community Foundation’s team at 772.492.1407.

Weekly Insights: The Samaritan Center of Vero Beach

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Pictured from left to right: Renee Bireley, Development Manager; Vania Bartee, Children’s Coordinator; Vanessa McGriff, Operations Manager; Kris Rivera, CCPBD Operations Director.

The Samaritan Center provides transitional housing and guidance to homeless families in Indian River County and prepares them to live independently. The average length of stay is 6-9 months. During their stay, the Samaritan Center partners with resident families to provide a nurturing environment, safe housing, case management, support/educational services, and connection to community resources.  

The organization recently purchased a 2022 Ford Transit Connect van to provide transportation for all homeless residents, parents, and children to school/trainings, childcare, employment, and job interviews. During the 2020/ 2021 fiscal year, Samaritan Center served 42 unduplicated individuals with approximately 45,990 trips around town. The van was made possible with support from Indian River Community Foundation.

Weekly Insights works in conjunction with Indian River Indicators. Indian River Indicators was launched in June 2021 and originated after the completion of the 2019 Indian River Community Needs Assessment. It provides key data and information about our community that is updated annually and can be used to support and sustain proven programs. It can also be used by community leaders to develop policy, promote promising practices and inspire innovation that can lead to solutions to persistent community challenges. Indian River Community Foundation holds monthly informational sessions to introduce the community to this new resource. The next session will be held on Tuesday, February 1st at 4pm via zoom. Please email Foundation Coordinator, Chiaka Nwosu, at chiaka@ircommunityfoundation.org to attend a session.

To learn more visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org and click “Indian River Indicators” or contact a member of the Community Foundation’s team at 772.492.1407.

Indian River Insights from Vero Beach Magazine

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In partnership with Vero Beach Magazine, Indian River Community Foundation’s President and CEO, Jeff Pickering, writes a monthly column called Indian River Insights. These articles explore the root causes of community needs, celebrate successes, analyze meaningful solutions, and offer insights into persistent challenges. In the January 2022 Edition of the Vero Beach Magazine, Pickering looks at the status of seniors in Indian River County, including what they need and how we are doing as a community to serve them today and into the future.

“While the life disparity in our county is troubling, the good news is that several local charitable organizations are working to close that gap.” – Jeff Pickering

Click here to read Indian River Insights from the January edition of Vero Beach Magazine.

Indian River Insights works in conjunction with Indian River Indicators. Indian River Indicators was launched in June 2021 and originated after the completion of the 2019 Indian River Community Needs Assessment. It provides key data and information about our community that is updated annually and can be used to support and sustain proven programs. It can also be used by community leaders to develop policy, promote promising practices and inspire innovation that can lead to solutions to persistent community challenges. Indian River Community Foundation holds informational sessions on the first Tuesday of every month at 4pm via Zoom to introduce the community to this new resource. Please email Foundation Coordinator, Chiaka Nwosu, at chiaka@ircommunityfoundation.org to attend a session.

To learn more visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org and click “Indian River Indicators” or contact a member of the Community Foundation’s team at 772.492.1407.

Weekly Insights: Dogs for Life

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According to Indian River Indicators, 11.9% of adults in Indian River County are veterans, compared to 8.6% of all adults in Florida. As many as 30% of veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dogs for Life is devoted to improving the quality of life for individuals and Veterans through training service dogs for hearing, mobility and the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders. Through the Veteran Dog Training Program, Dogs for Life provides trained and certified service dogs to Veterans with hearing and mobility challenges, as well as the effects of PTSD.

Hearing dogs assisted with a door knock, a ringing telephone, a smoke alarm, and an alarm clock, or other sounds a person with a hearing impairment may be missing. Mobility Assistance Dogs are task trained to assist with such issues as rising from a chair, picking up a phone, and retrieving a fallen object tasks that can be impossible to a person with a physical challenge. PTSD tasks can include waking from a nightmare, creating a “safe zone” in a crowd, turning lights on in a dark room, creating a distraction or finding an exit to leave a stressful situation, calling for help on a special K-9 emergency phone, providing deep pressure for calming effect and reducing hyper-vigilance through task work.

Weekly Insights works in conjunction with Indian River Indicators. Indian River Indicators was launched in June 2021 and originated after the completion of the 2019 Indian River Community Needs Assessment. It provides key data and information about our community that is updated annually and can be used to support and sustain proven programs. It can also be used by community leaders to develop policy, promote promising practices and inspire innovation that can lead to solutions to persistent community challenges. Indian River Community Foundation holds monthly informational sessions to introduce the community to this new resource. The next session will be held on Tuesday, February 1st at 4pm via zoom. Please email Foundation Coordinator, Chiaka Nwosu, at chiaka@ircommunityfoundation.org to attend a session.

To learn more visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org and click “Indian River Indicators” or contact a member of the Community Foundation’s team at 772.492.1407.

Weekly Insights: ORCA

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The Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) endeavors to protect and restore aquatic ecosystems and the species they sustain through the development of innovative technologies, science-based conservation action, and community education and outreach. ORCA is committed to returning the Indian River Lagoon to a vibrant, healthy estuary teaming with wildlife and free of pollution. The Citizen Science program supports ORCA’s efforts to provide the information decision makers need to ensure effective conservation actions are taken. Two main issues are addressed through the Citizen Science Program: 1) the lack of real-world science and leadership experiences available to local high school students, 2) the need for ongoing, reliable information upon which decision makers can implement and assess informed conservation actions to reverse the degradation of the IRL. In the 2020-2021 academic year, 12 students were trained in both field and laboratory activities while completing the year-long project.

Weekly Insights works in conjunction with Indian River Indicators. Indian River Indicators was launched in June 2021 and originated after the completion of the 2019 Indian River Community Needs Assessment. It provides key data and information about our community that is updated annually and can be used to support and sustain proven programs. It can also be used by community leaders to develop policy, promote promising practices and inspire innovation that can lead to solutions to persistent community challenges. Indian River Community Foundation holds monthly informational sessions to introduce the community to this new resource. The next session will be held on Tuesday, January 4th at 4pm via zoom. Please email Foundation Coordinator, Chiaka Nwosu, at chiaka@ircommunityfoundation.org to attend a session.

To learn more visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org and click “Indian River Indicators” or contact a member of the Community Foundation’s team at 772.492.1407.