Click to read feature stories about nonprofit organizations and projects that have received Trust funding.
As part of its commitment to encouraging the healthy development of children, The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust has invested in helping 20 Maricopa County Catholic preschools improve both the quality of classroom curriculum and their facilities. Consultants with expertise in early childhood development conducted a curriculum assessment across the schools and provided individualized recommendations for quality improvements. In addition, facilities enhancements ranged from covering a floor with traces of asbestos, installing sun shades over playgrounds, renovating dilapidated restrooms and installing security measures. The end result is safer, higher quality learning environments for Valley preschoolers.
March 2007
Tapping into the knowledge, talent and compassion of the Valley’s retiring baby boomers is at the heart of the Mesa and Tempe Experience Corps programs. Older adults participating in the Experience Corps are connected with children, providing mentoring and tutoring in order to help them achieve greater academic success. Some Experience Corps members work in the classroom and others work with students in one-on-one settings. This nationwide program has produced improved academic performance and acclaim from principals, teachers and students.
March 2007
Children entering emergency care for possible abuse or neglect face a battery of tests that can cause additional trauma and stress. Unfortunately, many children aren’t first-time visitors to child crisis centers and services are duplicated. Enter a Portable Assessment for Kids shared among the Valley's three child crisis centers to share data and reduce duplicative services.
December 2006
In the past several years, the Piper Trust has invested in programs that provide dental services for those most at risk: low-income children, children and youth with special needs, and homeless older adults.
October 2006
Physicians and nurses enter the field of medicine to cure illnesses. But when there's not a cure, some may become uncomfortable with their role, thinking there is nothing more they can do. Two grants are helping Hospice of the Valley develop training programs to deepen understanding of end-of-life care.
October 2006
Arizona parents and caregivers now have expert advice and local resources right at their fingertips, literally, with the launching of the Birth to Five Helpline, Arizona's first toll-free telephone resource.
August 2006
With a focus on helping boomers prepare for this new life stage, the Tempe Connections Café, nestled in the stacks of the Tempe Public Library, is the first location of its kind in the Valley to offer a community gathering place specifically designed to connect boomers with resources and services as well as meaningful engagement opportunities through work and service.
August 2006
It’s not surprising that many homebound seniors become depressed and experience a significantly elevated suicide rate. An innovative program called TASH (Technical Assistance for Seniors Homebound) is assisting medically homebound seniors by placing computers in the homes of these clients, training them to use the computers through a structured curriculum, providing ongoing training and support, and supplying an Internet connection, all at no expense to the clients.
August 2006