On the Phone With... Barbara Greenberg of the Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation

E-Newsletter Article, March 2011 Family Giving News

Listen to the National Center’s interview with Barbara Greenberg to hear more about the Benedict Foundation’s lessons learned in "positive aging":

The Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation:
Positive Aging

The Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation was created in 1997 in memory of John E. Andrus to enhance the Andrus family's longstanding commitment to Westchester County, New York. The Benedict Foundation’s mission is to create aging-friendly neighborhoods and actively engage older people in their communities, with special attention to the City of Yonkers in Westchester County, New York.
Barbara R. Greenberg, advisor to the foundation, explains that the “The history of the Andrus Family has very much influenced the work we do. Helen Andrus Benedict was a dedicated volunteer who took her responsibilities seriously, a role model for an active older adult. In addition, our intergenerational approach to grantmaking is directly related to the words of her father, John E. Andrus, who expressed the wish to provide "opportunity for youth and rest for old age.”

Greenberg explains that the foundation’s grants are focused on a framework of “positive aging,” an approach emphasizing the many and diverse assets older adults bring to their communities. “Older adults in our communities have time, talent and experience that can be used to benefit children and youth, and people of all ages,” explains Greenberg. “There are so many opportunities for our grantmaking -- from older adult tutors in schools who help improve children's reading skills, to groups of grandparents who advocate for better programs and supports for all grandparents raising grandchildren. If you have an interest in the environment, you can focus on food deserts and programs that engage older adults in starting farmer’s markets or helping community gardeners grow more food. You can take just about any topic you want and include older adults as the doers or as the recipients, according to your interests.”

Greenberg says that one of the biggest challenges facing the foundation’s work is a continuing perception that “all older adults are poor, sick, frail, needy, and elderly.” She notes that “Vulnerable older people are, of course, of concern for all of us. However, the vast majority of older adults are relatively well, active and living in the community, though they may be juggling several chronic diseases. They represent about 90 percent of our adult population. Our challenge is to stay focused on the ways we can help that other 90 percent have a good quality of life, living safely in their homes in the community for as long as possible. That’s where the Benedict Foundation has focused its energy - on the other 90%.”

Greenberg explains that "We know through research that social connections and a sense of purpose are really critical to older adults maintaining their health and sense of well-being. Older people are for the most part valuable assets to their communities. The truth is that older adults can be part of the solution, and not the problem, and keeping older people active and engaged in their communties will actually minimize the help they need over the long run.”

Regardless of your approach, Greenberg says, aging is an area ripe for exploration by foundations and funds of all sizes. “The exciting thing about aging is that it is almost a pioneering field at this point. There are so many opportunities, depending on your interests. Many family funders are place-based and locally focused. If a foundation is interested in a particular community where the family lives or used to live, consider intergenerational approaches that might fit well with a general concern for people of all ages as well as the whole community.”
“You can take just about any topic you want and include older adults as the doers or as the recipients, according to your interests.”

A Vision for Yonkers
In April 2006, the Benedict Foundation gathered its grantees and a variety of other key stakeholders in the Yonkers community to develop a shared “Vision for Yonkers” to help guide future grantmaking by the Foundation. This Vision included an overarching theme, as well as five goals for how the city of Yonkers will embrace its older adult population:

Yonkers is a community for all ages—a great place to grow old. Yonkers is the (un)retirement capital of the world.

• Older people are aware of all the ways they can participate in Yonkers.
• Older adults are the life-blood of Yonkers. Their experience is sought out and valued.
• Yonkers’ older residents are neighborhood 'movers and shakers.'
• Yonkers' residents stay connected. They can grow old at home in the community.
• Yonkers is a model for the region and the nation.