Model Community Involvement Fact Sheet

UPDATED: August 2, 2006

When your organization gets involved in the community-at-large, it enhances the quality of life of the people you serve and your reputation in the local community. Developing a fact sheet for community members that highlights these activities is a great way to achieve these goals and also implement two of the AAHSA Quality First Elements of Quality in your organization's work: 4. Community Involvement; and 10. Public Trust and Consumer Confidence.

You can use this model to develop your own community involvement fact sheet. Keep in mind that these are suggested categories; you don't need to include all of them. You should emphasize the information that is most important to the members of your community. If you'd like, you can include additional information or categories. The important thing to remember is that the facts on the sheet should reinforce your organization's commitment to the broader community, and by doing so you help your organization become the provider of choice in your community.

It is best if your fact sheet is two or three pages in length. A good way to reproduce your fact sheet is to copy or print it on your organization's letterhead. That will make the fact sheet easy to reproduce, include with a packet of information, e-mail and fax.

Once your fact sheet is completed, don’t keep your commitment to community a secret. Share and distribute this sheet to leaders in the greater community as well as your residents and clients, staff members, board members or trustees and residents and/or families council. You can also include it your organization’s marketing materials or post it on your Web site.

Here is a hypothetical model you can use for your organization's community involvement fact sheet:

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At Good Valley Retirement Community, we strive to make the town of Greensburg a better place to live by . . .

Promoting Economic Development

• More than 110 of Good Valley's staff members are Greensburg residents.
• Each year, our organization pays approximately $9.2 million in wages and benefits to staff members who reside in Greensburg.
• Good Valley spends $13,250 annually to prepare 18 of our staff members for certification.

Providing Quality Care and Services for Older Adults

• The Good Valley Retirement Community serves 178 members of the Greensburg community in our facility.
• Our organization sponsors a variety of programs, services and activities for Greensburg's older adults, including:
  • Weekly dance and aerobics classes at the Greensburg Community Center.
  • Monthly cholesterol and blood sugar screenings at Good Valley.
  • An annual "Town Hall Meeting" about the city government's work for older adults.
  • An education session about the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.
• Good Valley also offers the following services or programs to help older adults and their family members in the Greensburg community:
  • An information booth at the annual Greensburg Health Fair.
  • A monthly "Savvy Senior" column in the Greensburg Gazette.
  • Monthly outings for family caregivers.
  • Regular aging-services financing seminars in partnership with the Greene County Credit Union.
  • Quarterly open houses and community tours that are open to all Greensburg residents.

Providing Access to Educational Opportunities

• Last year, the Good Valley Retirement Community provided $24,000 in tuition assistance for 12 of our staff members.
• Good Valley offers staff members the opportunity to attend nine different training programs each year. Additionally, the organization sponsors quarterly professional development programs for all employees on the organization's campus.
• More than 150 volunteers donate their time to our organization.
• Our organization coordinates an internship program for four of the University of Greensburg's nursing students and sponsors a fellowship for a management student from any college in our state.
• Good Valley also works to encourage students to consider careers in aging services. Last year, our organization:
  • Participated in the career fair at Green Community College.
  • Hosted a tour and "shadow day" for Greensburg East High School students.
• Additionally, Good Valley offers the following career programs and services:
  • On-site Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training.
  • Mentorship program for all new employees.
  • Opportunities to attend state and national educational conferences.
  • Recruitment programs at local colleges, universities and technical schools.

Helping Community Members in Need

• In 2005, the Good Valley Retirement Community's residents, board members and employees volunteered 542 hours in the Greensburg community. These individuals donated their time to the following organizations:
  • Greene County Alzheimer's Association
  • The Greensburg Children's Hospital
  • Safe Harbor Women's Shelter
  • The Greene County Humane Society
• Good Valley also offers a variety of free or discounted services to Greensburg's community members, including:
  • Free weekly shuttle trips to the Greensburg Shopping Center for older adults.
  • Discounted wellness screenings at Good Valley's health center.
  • Semi-annual seminar about long-term care insurance and services.
  • An annual disaster preparation seminar.

Serving as Active Community Members

• The Good Valley Retirement Community purchases products and maintains service contracts with following Greensburg businesses:
  • Nuts and Bolts Hardware
  • Green Valley Café and Catering
  • Capital Staffing Solutions
  • Greensburg Ford
• Good Valley's residents, board members and employees are active members of the Greensburg community. They are affiliated with several organizations, including:
  • Greensburg Chamber of Commerce
  • Greene County Council on Aging
  • The Greater Greene County Lions Club
  • Greensburg School Board
  • Green Community College
  • Greensburg Historical Preservation Society
  • Greene County Youth Athletic Association
  • Greensburg Interfaith Council
• As an organization, Good Valley has developed partnerships with the following community organizations:
  • Greensburg Elder Affairs Committee
  • The Greene County United Way
  • The Greensburg Tigers Baseball Team

We work together to ensure that Greensburg is a great place to live for people of all ages.

For More Information

• Good Valley Retirement Community
  518 Main Street
  Greensburg, US 55555
  Phone: (321) 555-2331
  Fax: (321) 555-1392
  E-mail: info@good-valley.org
  Web Site: www.good-valley.org
• For marketing or media information, please contact:
  James Stafford, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
  Phone: (321) 555-1822
  Fax: (321) 555-9631
  E-mail: jstafford@good-valley.org