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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