2019 Year in Review
2019 was a year we celebrated successes. Here’s how our year unfolded.
We had a spectacular year, thanks to supporters like you. As we review our accomplishments, we hope we can count on your generous donations to help us continue supporting intergenerational solutions around the country.
Table of Contents
Scroll through our review of the year or click on your area of interests.
Successful International Conference
Generations United’s 2019 Conference co-hosted by Bridge Meadows in Portland, OR — which was supported by The Eisner Foundation, Pfizer, AARP, and Casey Family Programs— was a resounding success. Our conference drew over 440 attendees and included 110 presenters, 100 workshops, and representatives from 12 countries.
We opened the plenary session with a powerful panel, Combating the Opioid Epidemic: Supporting Grandfamilies, Encouraging Intergenerational Solutions to Substance Use. The panel included remarks from Britt McCandless, a producer from 60 minutes. Generations honored the show with our Media Award for their segments on the opioid epidemic’s impact on grandparents raising grandchildren.
Generations United also honored Senator Ron Wyden with our Lifetime Achievement Award as well as The Eisner Foundation with our Leadership Award. Learn about all the award recipients. See more successes in intergenerational practices.
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Raised Our Voices on Federal Grandfamilies Council
Generations United partnered on the Federal Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, recently established by law. Our Deputy Executive Director Jaia Peterson Lent was selected as Council co-chair. Additionally, five Generations United GRAND Voices Members also serve on the Council: Sarah Smalls-Virginia; Bette Hoxie-Maine; Gail Engel-Colorado; Sonya Begay, Navajo (Dine’)-Maryland; and Sharon Olson-Minnesota.
The Advisory Council will identify, promote, coordinate, and disseminate to the public information, resources, and the best practices available to help grandparents and other relatives both meet the needs of the children in their care; and maintain their own physical and mental health and emotional well-being. See more grandfamilies successes.
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New Report and Resources To Encourage Spaces and Places for All Ages
Generations United and The Eisner Foundation released The Best of Both Worlds: A Close Look at Creating Spaces that Connect Young and Old, which includes actionable ways to boost the number of intergenerational shared sites around the country.
Language supporting intergenerational shared sites, based on Generations United’s recent report with The Eisner Foundation, was included in the re-authorization of the Older American’s Act, which recently passed the House.
See more on strengthening intergenerational practices.
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Exploring Intergenerational Solutions for Healthy Aging in Michigan
Generations United received a one-year planning grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to explore intergenerational solutions for healthy aging in Michigan. Senior Fellow Bruce Astrein and Sheri Steinig led a successful project resulting in a two-year implementation grant that will allow us to continue and expand this important work.
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Strengthening Intergenerational Practices
In addition to our Best of Both Worlds report, The Eisner Foundation supported two additional resources to encourage the development of shared sites:
- The Intergenerational Evaluation Toolkit, which represents over 15 years of collaborative research by Dr. Shannon Jarrott of The Ohio State University, was supported by The Eisner Foundation. The Toolkit offers three resources designed to meet the needs of program providers and researchers committed to demonstrating the impact of intergenerational programming and understanding the practices by which outcomes are achieved.
2. The paper, Piecing It Together: What We Know About the Funding Puzzle for Spaces that Connect Young and Old, which shares information on funding and financing intergenerational shared sites, their potential cost-savings, and recommendations to guide our work and that of the field to pave the way to increase shared site development around the country.
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With support from The Retirement Research Foundation, Generations United and LeadingAge released our new toolkit, Connecting Generations in Senior Housing: A Program Implementation Toolkit. Generations United’s Senior Fellow Nancy Henkin and Taryn Patterson, formerly of LeadingAge and currently with Sequoia Living, Inc., conducted in-person trainings across the country and five webinars to help affordable senior housing providers strengthen their intergenerational programs.
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Generations United launched The Generations United Podcast, hosted by our Executive Director Donna Butts. Each episode shares insights from experts in the intergenerational field about how these practices improve the lives of children, youth, older adults, and the communities that they live in. Our guests included Washington Post syndicated columnist Michelle Singletary; The Eisner Foundation’s CEO Trent Stamp; and Encore.Org’s CEO Marc Freedman. Listen to our episodes.
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Generation United was pleased to work with the St. David’s Foundation in Austin, TX, this year to help establish their new intergenerational program portfolio by providing training for potential grantees and other supports. We are excited for the new intergenerational projects coming to Central Texas in 2020.
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Grandfamilies Successes
Generations United released our 6th annual State of Grandfamilies report, A Place to Call Home: Building Affordable Housing for Grandfamilies, at the Plaza West grandfamilies housing in DC. The report highlights unique housing challenges grandfamilies face as well as innovative housing solutions.
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In March, our Executive Director Donna Butts testified on the important intergenerational family support aspects of Social Security before the House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Social Security Hearing, “Protecting and Improving Social Security: Benefits Enhancements.”
Generations United also advocated on several pending bills to improve supports for grandfamilies including The Grandfamilies Act, Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child Abuse, Supporting Caregivers Act, The Grandfamilies Housing Act, the Family First Transition and Support Act and the Family First Transition Act.
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Elevating Grandfamily Voices
Generations United, with continuing support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Casey Family Programs, helped elevate the GRAND Voices of grandparents and other relatives to promote better supports and services for the families. Grandfamily caregivers participated in the Generations United conference, shared their stories during Capitol Hill events and state convenings and through media opportunities. In partnership with the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) and A Second Chance, Inc. we are promoting culturally appropriate services for African American, American Indian and Alaska Native grandfamilies. Learn more.
Additional support for our grandfamilies work is provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the Brookdale Foundation, and RALI.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation also shouted out our Executive Director Donna Butts.
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Generations United — in partnership with Foster Kinship and supported by Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) — delivered the symposium and training event, Helping Children of the Opioid Crisis: Supporting Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children in Nevada. Learn more.
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With support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Generations United released a brief and national comparison chart on adoption and guardianship for children in kinship foster care.
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We’re grateful to the North American Council on Adoptable Children for awarding Generations United’s National Center on Grandfamilies with their 2019 Advocate of the Year Award. The honor recognizes the National Centers’ work to enhance supports for grandfamilies including our efforts related to the Family First Act.
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Other News
Board Elections
- Generations United board elected Joe Cuticelli (CEO, Seniors Sodexo North America) as our new vice chair and elected Mary Anne Mason (former partner, Crowell & Moring LLP) as our new treasurer.
- Joe, Gerry Hyland (former Representative for the National Association of Counties), Barb Quaintance (senior vice president, AARP’s Office of Volunteer and Civic Engagement), Pam Smith (executive director, Alex Smith Foundation), and Marvin Waldman (founder and president, The Shadow Group)were re-elected for another term on the board.
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Celebrating the Life and Legacy of MaryLee Allen
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And, while all of this was going on, we managed a successful office move and office warming. Check out the highlights.
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These are a few ways your support of Generations United helps make a difference in the lives of children, youth and older adults.
We couldn’t have accomplished what we did without you.
We hope we can count on your generous donation to help us continue supporting intergenerational solutions around the country.
Thank you again for your support. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and an intergenerational 2020!
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