Submitted on July 22nd, 2015
Submitted values are:
--Section 1: Organization Information--
Name of Organization: Progreso Latino, Inc.
Mailing Address: 626 Broad Street, Central Falls, RI 02863
Name of Project Contact Person(s): Ami Awad, Director of Social
Programs
Phone: (401) 954-3397
E-mail:
Type of Organization: Other (please explain below)
If Other: 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Description of Organization and Mission: Progreso Latino, Inc. is
a multi-service, non-profit, community based organization located
in Central Falls, RI. Progreso Latino’s mission is to empower
Rhode Island’s Latino and immigrant communities to achieve
greater self-sufficiency and socio-economic progress by providing
transformational programs that support personal growth and social
change. Our program areas consist of: Early Education, Adult
Education, Immigration and Citizenship, Health and Wellness,
Seniors, Housing and Financial Literacy, and Workforce
Development. The rapid growth of the Latino population in Rhode
Island during the 1970's and the inability of existing state
social service agencies to adequately meet the needs of this
population, led to the incorporation of the agency in 1977 by
local Hispanic leaders.
On average, how many individuals does your organization serve per
year? Progreso Latino is located in the city of Central Falls and
serves over 5,000 individuals from the communities of the
Blackstone Valley per year. Central Falls, the smallest and most
densely populated city in the smallest state, has a population of
about 20,000. As the poorest community in RI, the median
household income falls below $30,000 with 25% of its residents
living below the poverty line.
How did you hear about the CPC? PL heard about the CPC from Dana
Brown, AmeriCorps VISTA, who is affiliated with the CPC. Dana
approached our Associate Director
--Section 2: Project Description--
Title of the Project: Progreso Latino Senior Wellness Program
Project Location (Address, City, State, and Zip): 626 Broad
Street, Central Falls, RI 02863
General Project Description (you may attach a longer narrative if
necessary): Progresso Latino currently runs a fully bilingual,
half-day senior wellness program that is comprised of 40 seniors,
most of whom are from a Latino background. The participants
engage in wellness, enrichment, and social programs that promote
physical and emotional health, as well as a sense of community
and purpose. Progreso Latino aims to expand the senior program to
become a full-time, licensed adult day care center, which would
involve re-designing the space of the second floor or potentially
moving into a different building as determined by cost-benefit
analyses facilitated by RWU students. The transition from being a
grant-funded social service to being a billable medical service
requires a business plan for sustainability. A Brown University
undergraduate student, studying Public Health and taking
pre-medical coursework, worked closely with the Director of
Social Programs to conduct initial research around this project.
The student assessed the licensing requirements, the seniors’
health insurance policies, and the investments that PL would have
to make in necessary medical personnel and apparatus to realize
the expansion to a full-day program.
Potential Scope of Work/Tasks for RWU CPC: Progreso Latino seeks
project-based assistance from RWU CPC to expand the senior
wellness program to a full-day program, which requires the skills
and experiences of students and faculty from areas in business
and architecture. RWU students interested in business would work
to develop a financial-feasibility study that examines the costs
of transitioning into a full-time, licensed adult day care center
and the sustainability of billing insurance companies for the
rendered services. Meanwhile, students invested in architecture
and/or in engineering would collaborate to design building plans
that emphasize community connectivity. Encouraging these students
to utilize human-centered designs will help bring empathy into
the heart of the designs, further catering the expanded program
to the needs of the aging Latino community in RI.
What will be the final product output for this project? (survey,
website, design plans, drawings, etc.): The final product output
for this project will be the final design options for a
full-time, licensed adult day care center located in Central
Falls. Moreover, the financial-feasibility study (utilizing
cost-benefit analyses) will inform Progreso Latino’s decision
to go forward with the adult day care center.
Proposed Project Schedule (when the tasks/project needs to be
completed):
Week of August 30/ Week of January 10
Meeting with students, faculty, CPC staff, and PL staff to
discuss objectives, scope of project, and expectations
Week of September 6/ Week of January 17
Site visit to Progreso Latino and surrounding Central Falls
community
Week of September 13/ Week of January 24
Discuss design options for a full-time, licensed adult day care
center in Central Falls
Frame project objectives relative to cost of objectives
Week of September 20/ Week of January 31
Begin researching sustainability of adult day care center for
PL’s annual budget
Begin researching designs of other adult day care centers in RI
Week of September 27/ Week of February 7
Prepare estimates of resources needed for construction of new
program
Week of October 4/ Week of February 14
Meeting with students, faculty, CPC staff, and PL staff to
discuss findings and costs
Week of October 11/ Week of February 21
Site visit to Central Falls
Week of October 18/ Week of February 28
Combine research and feedback from PL staff to render conceptual
drawings of center
Perform cost-benefit analyses to determine sustainability of
project for a non-profit organization
Week of October 25/ Week of March 6
Meeting with students, faculty, CPC staff, and PL staff to
discuss conceptual drawings
Week of November 1/ Week of March 13
Make revisions to designs
Discuss with PL how final materials should be presented
Week of November 8/ Week of March 20
Create final design options for PL
Week of November 15/ Week of March 27
Compile findings for financial-feasibility study
Week of November 22/ Week of April 3
Write financial-feasibility study
Begin writing final project documentation of work process
Week of November 29/ Week of April 10
Obtain final feedback on design options and study
Edit final project documentation of work process
Week of December 6/ Week of April 17
Complete final design options for PL’s full-time, licensed
adult day care center
Complete a financial-feasibility study
Complete final project documentation of work process
Week of December 13/ Week of April 24
Present final items to PL at meeting with faculty and CPC staff
Please provide the names and contact information for any staff
members or volunteers who will be playing a primary role in the
proposed CPC project.:
Mario Bueno, Executive Director (401) 728-5920 Ext. 345
Ami Awad, Director of Social Programs (401) 954-3397
Dominga Taveras, Senior Services & Health Services (401) 728-5920
Ext. 317
What resources/previous work would the CPC be building upon that
you already have completed? (Please select all items that are
applicable): Strategic Plan
What active support would your organization be able to contribute
should your project be selected? Staff time
--Section 3: Project Outcomes--
Please describe how this project will benefit your organization
and the advancement of your mission: Progreso Latino is uniquely
positioned to serve the Blackstone Valley’s low-income Latino
and immigrant seniors. With over thirty years of experience, PL
is the state’s leading Latino organization with deep roots in
the state’s immigrant communities. PL’s programs are
linguistically and culturally appropriate for the communities we
serve, making our programs welcoming and accessible to
individuals who, otherwise, might not be able to easily access
services. Aging Latinos are often isolated and marginalized due
to linguistic, cultural, mobility, and social barriers. This
isolation can lead to depression, lack of self-care, missed or
misused prescription medicine, and mental health and substance
abuse issues. The expansion of the PL Seniors’ Program will
connect the aging Latino community in RI to basic needs and
social programs, thereby advancing our mission to support their
personal growth and to enhance their self-sufficiency.
Please describe how this project might benefit the overall
community, including specific groups that could benefit from this
project (i.e. target populations, neighborhoods, specific
town/city/region).: Latinos and other immigrants experience
higher rates of health risk factors than their white
counterparts. Latinos in the U.S. experience higher rates of high
blood pressure and obesity than do non-Hispanic whites. In Rhode
Island, Latinos are disproportionately affected by obesity and
are one-third less likely than all Rhode Islanders to exercise
regularly. Additionally, 11.3% of Latino adults in RI have
diabetes, compared to 6.7% of white adults. The outcome of an
expanded PL Seniors’ Program is a decrease in the wellness
disparities among the seniors we serve in the communities of
Blackstone Valley. Some of the seniors currently attending the
half-day program may not have received medical treatment in their
home countries. With the full-time program, these seniors will be
gaining access to health services in addition to receiving
wellness attention and education for the first time. Moreover,
they will be introduced to the U.S. healthcare system and the
concept of preventative care because the program educates
participants in navigating the system and advocating for their
own health.
Please explain why you have chosen to seek assistance from the
RWU CPC with your project request, instead of undertaking the
project using fee-for-services from a paid professional: Progreso
Latino has chosen to seek assistance from the RWU CPC because of
the CPC’s commitment to undertaking projects that allow
collaboration between non-profit organizations and RWU students
to benefit the local community. As a community based, grassroots
organization, PL has limited resources to design ventures such as
the one proposed. We greatly benefit from partnerships, like our
long-standing one with RWU: working alongside the Latino Policy
Institute and the Center for Justice to collaborate on projects
and grants that benefit the Latino community and also obtaining
RWU’s support at our annual Gala. Moreover, PL is actively
pursuing funding to realize this project and has secured a site
visit from a potential funder for renovations. See Additional
File Upload – Champlins.pdf.
Please describe how this project will benefit RWU students.: By
partaking in the expansion of the PL Seniors’ Program, RWU
students will gain the opportunity to work directly with a
non-profit organization that supports and advocates for its local
community. They will be exposed to a diverse, immigrant community
and will learn about this community’s barriers and needs in a
way that is unparalleled in traditional coursework. This project
will challenge students to learn about the various constraints
that non-profit organizations face as they grow – relying on
volunteerism and fundraising as opposed to corporate profit.
Progreso Latino offers students the “real world” experience
that the CPC aims to provide students with as they flourish into
scholars, professionals, and leaders.
--Section 4: Financial Information--
What is your organization’s annual operating budget? Please
include a copy of your most recent budget with the application in
Section 6..: Progreso Latino’s annual operating budget is
approximately $1.9 million.
What are your major sources of funding? Our major sources of
funding include the RI Department of Education, the RI Department
of Health, the Department of Elderly Affairs, United Way, and
various private foundations, such as Rockland Trust, Blue Cross
Blue Shield RI, and Ocean State Charities.
How much funding from your annual operating budget is set aside
for this project (if any)? About 6.76% of our annual budget
operating budget is set aside for this project.
--Section 5: Private Sector Involvement--
Have you or your organization discussed the project with
practicing professionals (e.g. architect, engineer, planner,
consultants, etc.)? : Yes
If no, please explain why:
--Section 6: Supporting Documents--
Budget for the current fiscal year:
List of current Board members:
Copies of supporting resources identified in section 2 as needed
to support your application:
Additional File Upload:
Additional File Upload 2:
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