$100K Grant Will Expand Homebound Senior Outreach In Essex County

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A nonprofit in North Jersey that works with homebound seniors recently earned a $100,000 grant from Impact100 Essex.

For nearly a decade, Connections at Home (CAH) has been reaching out to “socially isolated” local seniors, providing them with free, easy-to-use computers and tablets, as well as dedicated social worker support. Learn more about this organization here.

The Essex County-based nonprofit will use its $100,000 grant to expand its services to more seniors, Impact100 Essex said.

In a social media post, Connections at Home said the grant will enable its members to serve 85 additional homebound socially isolated seniors in East Orange, and will “give them all a senior friendly tablet or computer, and a social worker who will be their partner.”

CAH Executive Director Alex Kent – who has previously worked for Montclair Township as the Safe Routes to School Coordinator and the Montclair Public Schools’ Health and Wellness Partnership – said the nonprofit is excited to receive the windfall.

“We are so grateful that Impact100 Essex members recognize the need to support the older generation: senior citizens who are homebound, with little or no family support,” Kent said. “They are an invisible part of the population who rarely get any attention or grant funding.”

“The Impact Grant reveals to us every year the inequities we may not have recognized in our community,” agreed Helen Mazarakis, a founding co-convener of Impact100 Essex, a women's giving circle in Essex County with more than 165 members.

“We are grateful to support Connections at Home, as they connect an overlooked population to the world,” Mazarakis added.

Connections at Home was chosen from among four finalists by Impact100 Essex members. The other finalists for this year’s Impact Grant were: Jazz House Kids, Project U.S.E. and the Transformative Education Network (TEN) at Montclair State.

These three organizations will receive grants of $10,000 each.

“We are thrilled to celebrate and acknowledge all the finalists for our Impact Grant,” said Jill Edinburg, co-chair, grants committee for Impact100 Essex.

“These organizations and their leaders are true change-makers addressing the critical and varied needs of Essex County and transforming lives, both young and old,” Edinburg said. “We’re honored to support them.”

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