Class #7 Notes
Guest Speaker: Virginia Kelly Judd
Organization: The Humana Foundation
Job Title: Executive Director
Mission: To serve as the philanthropic arm of the Humana Inc.
To begin our class this past Saturday, we had the pleasure of having Ms. Virginia Kelly
Judd come and speak to us. Virginia started at Humana in 1990 and has been with them
ever since. Her passion for French came in handy on her very first day on the job. Using
her French background landed her a job, which she had wanted to do all of her life.
Within just the first few days of her job she was communicating with other countries to
help improve their healthcare. She shared that that was one of her greatest and most
special grants that she has done throughout her life. Virginia went on to inform us about
the Humana Foundation and what they’re all about. Humana is a national corporation, but
started in Louisville, KY. The Humana Foundation funds roughly $10.3 million in grants.
An average grant size is roughly 42k. They prefer to fund fewer, but larger companies to
have greater impacts. (Inch wide, Mile Deep) Humana as a company’s goal is to help
individuals achieve life-long well-being. The Humana Foundation’s goal is to seek to
fund organizations and social institutions that focus on supportive relationships and their
potential to generate healthy behaviors and prevent chronic diseases.
Even though Humana itself is on a much larger scale than LYPC, we both share many
similarities. We are both a 501(C)(3). We both care deeply about the passion that
potential grantees have. When interviewing potential grantees we look for individuals to
have knowledge of their organization and its mission. We also look for valid and
organized information when it comes to the organization and the organization’s
programs. Virginia also informed us that bumps can occur along the road of the grant
process. She recommended that we ask potential grantees how they will take care of these
obstacles and what they will do to fix them. Sustainability is important to both the LYPC
and the Humana Foundation.
“We seek to find the intersection of passion and competence.”
TEAM PEACE PROTECTORS:
Organization: Mary Byron Project
Presenter: Marcia Roth
Job Title: Executive Director
Mission: The Mary Byron Project cultivates and supports efforts that extend beyond
crisis management to attack the root causes of epidemic of domestic violence and help
build safer, healthier communities.
The Mary Bryon Project began in 2000 after a young woman was shot in killed outside
the St. Matthews mall on her 21st birthday. The Mary Byron project created VINE
(Victim Information and Notification Everyday). This was created because before Mary’s
death there wasn’t anything like it. Her and her parents wanted to know when her
offender (her ex boyfriend) would be released from jail, but they were not due to lack of
information in the legal system. They created this system to inform victims when their
offenders were released so, that they could insure better safety for the victims.
Marcia Roth presented a program that the organization is working on. Verizon granted a
$50,000 grant to the state of Kentucky to implement a program called WorkSafe
Initiative. This program helps business leaders in protecting employees who are victims
of domestic violence and those who work with victims of domestic violence. The LYPC
would be funding programs and training sessions to inform Kentucky employers about
why it is in their best interest to have policies addressing domestic abuse reporting and
implement safe practices for individuals who are at risk for being victims of domestic
violence.
Marica Roth realizes that the statewide funding is already fully funded, but she wants to
implement a local WorkSafe Initiative here in Louisville. The planning and funding
information isn’t completed yet, but she said she will be getting back with us to answer
further questions we have.
TEAM WORLD WARRIORS:
Organization: Sunrise Children’s Services
Presenter: Stan Craig
Job Title: Regional Area Representative
Project: Support their residential centers
Mission:
Sunrise Children's Services has been at the forefront in the fight to protect Kentucky's
children since 1869. Today, Sunrise is a home for children who have been abused and
neglected — children whose lives have been scarred by unspeakable physical, sexual, and
emotional abuse — and who have been removed from their homes. From the president of
our organization down to our direct care staff, our goal every day is to provide a place of
refuge, of hope, of love, and of healing to these children whose lives have been
devastated. For these children, Sunrise is a place where they can begin to feel safe, a
place where they encounter adults who give unconditional love, a place where they can
begin to learn that the world can be a good place.
Children must have love, stability, direction and structure to thrive. As we begin to
provide those necessities, they begin to respond. What has been taken from them we can
never replace; however, what they need now we can provide. We cannot stop child abuse,
but we can respond compassionately to as many children as we can physically reach —
improving their lives and giving them a chance to heal and break the cycle of abuse.
Sunrise assists children from child protective services who have been traumatized and are
often a threat to themselves and others. They have a fully licensed facility that helps
rehabilitate children down to where they can return to their families or enter a foster
family. They assist all 120 counties in the state of Kentucky. Our grant would support
upkeep of their residential facilities for the children and can vary upon the team’s
choosing.
HOMEWORK: Research your team’s next potential grantee for interviews this
Saturday! Peace Protectors will be interviewing UofL ‘PEACC’ program. World
Warriors will be interviewing Maryhurst.
See you this Saturday, November 22nd at Gheens!