The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation has selected Livingston County Catholic Charities for a $20,000 grant in support of its Special Ministries of Livingston County program. This special one-time funding is in support of recreational, spiritual, and educational activities for county adults over 18 with disabilities that help to build a community around and provide inclusiveness.
The Mission of The Pulte Family Foundation is: “Guided by the belief in the inherent dignity of all persons, the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation works to meet the basic human needs of the most marginalized members of the human family, including socio-economically disadvantaged youth; the aged; persons with physical, emotional and mental disabilities; and those with the fewest material resources. In addition to the above, the Foundation seeks to serve religious communities and correlative organizations of Judeo-Christian beliefs.
“To this end, the Foundation strives to enact through its grantees the seven-corporeal works of mercy: feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; clothe the naked; care for captives; shelter the homeless; visit the sick; and assist the mourning.”
This special funding strengthens LCCC’s ability to continue to grow its newest program, Special Ministries of Livingston County (SMLC). There are inadequate programs and activities for adults with disabilities, notably more so as they “age out” of government-supported services through the school system at 26. SMLC programming fills that gap by providing an array of programs and adaptive activities, enabling participants to remain social, active, grow life-skills, decrease isolation and more.
SMLC strives to host 34 planned activities each quarter, both indoor and outdoor, based on participant interests and abilities. This past year-and-a-half, the program staff has worked hard to provide engaging and fun activities in a new and different manner for the participants and their families. SMLC continues to offer a mix of virtual and in-person activities based on CDC guidelines and State mandates.
Some of the community recreational programs in the coming year include softball with the Livingston County Sheriff’s Dept., adaptive archery, bowling, outings to local parks and farm centers, along with indoor drumming, game nights, Spicer Orchards and more.
In addition to recreational programming, SMLC hosts many life-skills and spiritual programming to continue to help participants to enhance their social and work skills such as cooking, navigating transportation, bible adventures, hygiene, personal finance and healthy living.
Lastly, SMLC hosts a monthly parent/family support group, which shifted to virtual during the pandemic; the organization is looking forward to resuming in-person meetings to foster the support network caregivers need.
The LCCC team, participants and families are deeply grateful to have support of The Pulte Family Foundation through their investment into our community, our families and vulnerable populations. One participant shared: “Special ministries has helped my life so much! It has become my only connection to things outside of my family.”
To learn more about SMLC, visit https://www.livingstoncc.org, or contact Brook Sporer at brook@livingstoncc.org.
