Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Announces Inaugural “Piper Trust Encore Prize” Awardees

Three Nonprofits are Recognized for Engaging Older Adults in Social Purpose

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust today announced the inaugural awardees of the Piper Trust Encore Prize. The Piper Trust Encore Prize recognizes and builds on the achievements of Maricopa County’s nonprofit and public sector organizations that engage people age 50+ in social purpose work—roles that serve the greater good.

“Greater Phoenix is set to become the model ‘marketplace’ that effectively matches nonprofits and baby boomers who want to make a difference.”

Awardee organizations of the 2012 Piper Trust Encore Prize are: Mesa United Way (Mesa, Arizona), Mission of Mercy (Phoenix, Arizona), and Neighbors Who Care (Sun Lakes, Arizona).

The Trust established the Piper Trust Encore Prize earlier this year. Through a competitive process, a panel of local and national judges reviewed applications submitted by local nonprofits seeking those with Encore programs that exemplified intent, impact, social purpose, creativity, and replicability. Up to three $5,000 Encore Prizes were available. One of the three winning organizations was potentially eligible for an additional $50,000 “Encore Enhancement Prize” to expand the organization’s use of Encore talent.

The 2012 Piper Trust Encore Prize awardees are recognized for the following innovative Encore programs:

Mesa United Way / www.mesaunitedway.org
$5,000 Piper Trust Encore Prize Awardee
In 2009, Mesa United Way launched its “Meaningful Opportunities for the Richly Experienced” (MORE) program and to date has placed approximately 100 individuals in Encore roles. Via paid and non-paid part-time positions, MORE’s Encore workers serve Mesa-area nonprofits by filling human resource gaps in essential services. The MORE program offers a variety of social purpose opportunities for experienced adults who desire to make a difference. Opportunities range from brief, task-focused projects to 12-month or longer assignments.

Mission of Mercy / www.amissionofmercy.org
$5,000 Piper Trust Encore Prize Awardee and $50,000 Encore Enhancement Prize Awardee
Established in 1997, Mission of Mercy provides free primary healthcare and prescription medications to the uninsured and working poor utilizing a volunteer-driven healthcare delivery model. Its 300 Encore career volunteer nurses, doctors, and medical interpreters will provide 15,000 free patient visits in 2012 through its five mobile medical clinics located throughout Maricopa County. The Piper Trust Encore Enhancement Prize will be used to hire an Encore volunteer coordinator and to provide continuing education opportunities to key Encore volunteers.

Neighbors Who Care / www.neighborswhocare.com
$5,000 Piper Trust Encore Prize Awardee
Established in 1994, Neighbors Who Care utilizes the talents and compassion of people age 50+ to provide no-cost assistive services, including companionship, to homebound and disabled residents in south Chandler and Sun Lakes. Clients of Neighbors Who Care report that they can remain in their homes for four additional years. Neighbors Who Care has four Encore professionals on staff; it annually engages an average of 550 volunteers and serves over 600 clients.

The Encore concept—engaging people age 50+ in roles that combine personal meaning with social impact—is growing across the country, and particularly in Phoenix, as nearly 10,000 people each day turn 65 in the United States¹.

“We applaud Mesa United Way, Mission of Mercy, and Neighbors Who Care for recognizing the tremendous value that older, experienced adults bring to nonprofits and to our community,” said Judy Jolley Mohraz, president and CEO of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. “Greater Phoenix is set to become the model ‘marketplace’ that effectively matches nonprofits and baby boomers who want to make a difference.”

“The U.S. is poised to invent an entirely new stage of life between the middle years and anything resembling traditional retirement,” said Marc Freedman, CEO and founder of Encore.org (formerly Civic Ventures)—a San Francisco-based nonprofit think tank focused on baby boomers, work, and social purpose. “Maricopa County has emerged as a beacon for this new vision, career trajectory, and lifestyle for the years beyond midlife.”

Piper Trust Encore Prize(s) are anticipated to be awarded every other year. The next opportunity to apply will be in 2014. For more about the Piper Trust Encore Prize, visit www.pipertrust.org/encore. #PiperTrustEncore

About Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust:

A private independent foundation, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust honors Virginia Galvin Piper’s philanthropic commitment to changing lives and strengthening community in Maricopa County (Arizona). By investing in nonprofits and encouraging strategic planning for the future, Piper Trust strives to make Maricopa County a stronger, more nurturing, and vibrant community. Since it began awarding grants in 2000, Piper Trust has invested $299 million in local nonprofits and programs. The Trust had total grants paid of $21.9 million in fiscal year 2012. Piper Trust’s grantmaking areas are healthcare and medical research, children, older adults, arts and culture, education and religious organizations. For more information, visit www.pipertrust.org. Follow us on Twitter @PiperTrust; visit us on Facebook.

¹ Source: Pew Research Center, 2010.