Project Grant 19SFSFL006

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY (MDC), FLORIDA'S ESTIMATED POPULATION IS OVER 2.7 MILLION WITH A GROWTH RATE OF 0.56% IN THE PAST YEAR (ON-LINE HTTP://WORLDPOPULATIONREVIEW.COM/FLORIDA-COUNTIES/MIAMI-DADE-COUNTY/2017). MDC IS THE LARGEST COUNTY IN FLORIDA THE ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION OF MDC IS 1.84 MILLION HISPANIC RESIDENTS (67.7%), 437,181 BLACK RESIDENTS (16.1%), 368,048 WHITE RESIDENTS (13.6%), 42,015 ASIAN RESIDENTS (1.55%) AND TWO + RESIDENTS 16,368 (0.6%). WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER PLACES MDC HAS THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF THE FOLLOWING LANGUAGES FRENCH CREOLE (112,030 SPEAKERS), SPANISH (1.59 MILLION SPEAKERS) AND HEBREWS (6,122 SPEAKERS) OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA. THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ELDER AFFAIRS (DOEA) 2017 PROFILE FOR OLDER FLORIDIANS IDENTIFIED MDC AS ONE OF THE LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS OF LOW-INCOME MINORITY OLDER ADULTS; OF THIS AMOUNT, 113,483 ELDERS ARE LIVING ALONE AND BELOW THE 125 PERCENTILE POVERTY GUIDELINES. COMMUNITY ACTION AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT (CAHSD) IS ONE OF MDC TWENTY-FIVE DEPARTMENTS, WHICH CURRENTLY SPONSORS THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE (CNCS) SENIOR COMPANION, FOSTER GRANDPARENT, AND RETIRED AND SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS THROUGH ELDERLY & DISABILITY SERVICES. THE DEPARTMENT'S MISSION IS TO EMPOWER ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH ADVOCACY, EDUCATION, RESOURCE MOBILIZATION, AND SERVICE DELIVERY. THE DEPARTMENT EXEMPLIFIES ITS MISSION TO THE RESIDENTS OF MDC THROUGH EXCELLENT SERVICE PROVISION AND PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. THE FGP IS PROPOSING A MANAGEMENT CAPACITY OF SIXTY-ONE VSYS. THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE INVESTMENT OF FEDERAL DOLLARS IN THE AMOUNT OF $282,734 WILL BE SUPPLEMENTED BY $208,690 OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY GENERAL FUND LOCAL DOLLARS TOTALING $491,424 TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY SERVICE AT THIRTY SEVEN (37), PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS. FGP'S COMMUNITY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS ARE THE FOLLOWING- SCHOOL BOARD OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY (PUBLIC SCHOOLS), YWCA, THE FLORIDA CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA , CENTRO MATER CATHOLIC CHARITIES AND THE HAITIAN YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTER OF FLORIDA THE COLLABORATING PUBLIC OR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR THIS PROJECT. THE FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM WILL ENGAGE 70 VOLUNTEERS IN THE FOLLOWING FOCUS AREA: EDUCATION AS THE PRIMARY FOCUS AREA, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SCHOOL READINESS AND K-12 SUCCESS. VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES IN THESE FOCUS AREAS TARGET OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO PROVIDE THE CHILDREN WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH AND DEVELOP A MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH A FOSTER GRANDPARENT VOLUNTEER. THE FOSTER GRANDPARENT VOLUNTEER IS ABLE TO PROVIDE THE CHILD WITH MORE ONE ON ONE TIME, HENCE ENHANCING THE CHILD'S LEARNING SKILLS IN A NON-THREATENING ENVIRONMENT.