John Knox Village of Florida, Inc.
Sharing and Caring Program
For the Year Ended December 31, 2009
John Knox Village of Florida, Inc. (the Village) is committed to being an
active, valuable partner in the civic community. This commitment is
accomplished in part through the Sharing and Caring program. The program
provides opportunities for residents and staff members to give back to others
and is becoming a vital component in filling the needs of the underserved and
uninsured in the Pompano Beach community.
As a provider of healthcare services to the senior population, the Village has
long been a sponsor and contributor to the American Cancer Society through the
Relay for Life, the American Heart Association through the Heart Walk and the
Alzheimer’s Association through the Alzheimer’s Walk because these diseases touch so many people in our community. As part of
a philosophy centered on wellness, the Village residents and employees
participate in the Heart Walk and the Alzheimer’s Walk on our beautiful 64 acre campus. Since 2003, the Village has sponsored
the Survivor’s reception for the local Relay for Life. This past year, approximately 125
cancer survivors, many from John Knox Village, were treated to a beautiful
reception in honor of their success and continuing struggle to fight cancer. As
a sponsor for these three organizations, the Village helped raise over $65,000
for the community during 2009.
A spirited group of employee nurses, retired resident nurses and staff members
have been traveling through the local community on the Health for Life bus that
has been nicknamed “Bessie”. The Village took an old passenger bus from its transportation fleet and
converted her into the Health for Life bus. Bessie allows nurses from the
Village to join hands with local organizations and provide health and wellness
advice for the underserved in our community. The services they are able to
offer include blood pressure checks, bone density tests, teaching of
self-breast exams, medication consultations and other health assessments. This group is dedicated to using their knowledge, skills and caring hearts to
promote awareness of healthy living to the community.
For the second year, the Village sponsored the Silver Angels program. The
Village worked with local churches and synagogues to identify outstanding,
caring seniors in the Pompano Beach community. Ten individuals were nominated
from their congregations for selflessly aiding others with their time, talents
and efforts. Each angel was celebrated at a beautiful dinner and awarded for their commitment
and dedication to others.
Village residents and employees experienced a marvelous opportunity to share St.
Patrick’s Day with the clients of Northeast Focal Point. Northeast Focal Point is a
senior center that provides a variety of social, recreational, educational and
wellness programs for elders in Broward County. The Village partnered with The United Way to host an afternoon dance with Big
Band music and delicious treats. The St. Patrick’s Day Dance provided a wonderful opportunity to expand our services to seniors
into the Broward County Community.
St. Laurence Chapel, a local organization that provides services for the
homeless, is one of the main recipients of our resident’s and employee’s generosity. Monthly donations are provided to St. Laurence from the resident
Chapel Committee. The annual white sock drive is held every year at
Thanksgiving to collect new, white socks for the homeless. This past year, over 1,000 pairs of socks were collected and given to St.
Laurence Chapel.
The Resident Auxiliary Service, a resident volunteer group providing services
for the welfare of the residents of John Knox Village, collects and sorts
through clothing and furniture donations throughout the year. Clothing and
furniture donations estimated at approximately $17,500 were distributed to St.
Laurence Chapel, the Salvation Army, Imperial Point Medical Center, Holy Cross
Hospital, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, the Department of Veterans Affairs,
and Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church.
Many Village residents, employees and family members have served in the
military. In an effort to give back to these courageous men and women, the
Village donated $10,000 to an association serving veterans and their family
members to purchase phone cards to call home during the holidays. In addition,
10 cases of Girl Scout cookies were sent overseas through the Cookies for the
Military program. John Knox Village was proud to contribute to the Fallen Hero’s program at Pompano Beach High School. This program honors all military
personnel who have given their lives since the War on Terrorism began by
planting a flag for each soldier.
As residents of South Florida, Village residents and employees are keenly aware
of the needs that arise after a natural disaster. The Village was able to join
forces with the JKV Rotary Club in providing Shelter Boxes for victims of a
natural disaster. The Shelter Box provides a tent and other supplies to assist
up to 10 people for a minimum of six months. The JKV Rotary Club raised donations to purchase 2 Shelter Boxes and the Village
matched that contribution by purchasing 2 more.
As a member of the business community, the Village actively participates in the
Chamber of Commerce, the local Historical Society and other functions in the
City of Pompano Beach. The Village was a proud sponsor this year of the Pompano
Beach Fishing Rodeo, whose goal is to promote awareness of marine conservation.
The Village sponsored the first annual breakfast for the Sample-McDougald
Preservation Society, generating donations to the society in excess of $17,000.
Education is an important component of building the future of our community and
both students and teachers are highly valued at the Village. The annual school
supply drive for employees is one of the best examples of the spirit of sharing
and caring that is such a part of the Village. Residents and employees provide
donations of money and new school supplies to ensure that children are properly
equipped to begin a new school year. The backpacks full of school supplies are
provided to line staff with school age children. This past year, over 120
children were given the tools they need for a successful school year. In an effort to expand this program to the community, the Village adopted a
local elementary school and outfitted 10 classrooms with the supplies they
needed for the school year. In addition, the Village contributed to the back to
school drive organized by a local church to provide supplies to at-risk
children in the local community. To honor the teachers in our area, the Village
was a proud sponsor of the Teachers’ Appreciation Luncheon through the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce.
The holidays are always such an enjoyable time for Village residents and
employees and provide the perfect opportunity to share with the community. The
Village increased its financial support of the local food banks this year in an
effort to respond to the economic crisis in the United States, providing over
$20,000 in support for local organizations serving the needy. The Harvest Drive
is an organization run through the Broward County public schools whereby
children become involved in helping other children. Village residents and
employees joined together to organize a food drive and provide financial
assistance as well. Every year, the Village sponsors a collection for the
Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign in conjunction with the annual Chamber of
Commerce breakfast hosted on campus. Employees donated almost 500 toys to help
brighten the holidays for underprivileged children. Village residents and employees work hand in hand with the Boys & Girls club to sponsor an annual Christmas Party, complete with presents and
Santa Claus for local children. In addition, Village employees participate in a
Secret Santa program for health center residents. The employees purchase gifts
to be shared with the residents at the Christmas party, making sure that every
resident has a gift to open.
Other areas where residents and employees give back to the community include
fund raisers for local little league teams, collection of eye glasses, cell
phones and hearing aides for the Lion’s Club, participation in career day activities for local schools, clothing
donations to the Salvation Army and scholarship sponsorships for Broward County
students. Because charity does begin at home, Village residents have a special
affinity to volunteering within the Village itself. Whether it is residents who
visit other residents in the health center or residents who volunteer by
answering phones, the Village is the grateful recipient of their spirit of
giving. Almost 500 Village residents offer their time and talent to make the
Village a wonderful, caring place to live.
The Village provides meeting space to many organizations that serve the local
community. In 2009, the Village welcomed the following organizations to its
campus:
• Al-Anon
• Association of Older Lutheran Adults
• Broward Library Foundation
• Broward Musicians Association
• Broward Personal Computer Association
• Daughters of the American Revolution
• First Christian Church
• First Presbyterian Church Ft. Lauderdale
• First Presbyterian Church Pompano
• Florida Lifecare Retirement Association
• Fort Lauderdale Garden Club
• Holy Cross Hospital
• Hospice of SouthEast Florida
• League of Women Voters
• National Association of Retired Federal Employees
• PEO
• Presbytery of Tropical FL
• Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce
• Pompano Beach Garden Club
• Pompano Economic Group
• Second Presbyterian Church
• Sigma Alpha Iota
• St. Martin-in-the-Field Episcopal Church
• Toastmasters International
• United Way
The future of the Sharing and Caring program is exciting. The Village is
determined to continue sharing its resources with the wider community.
