Honoring Four Organizations Nurturing Intergenerational Connections

Bringing together older adults and youth in meaningful ways helps create a vibrant sense of community where everyone can thrive. Studies show that when older adults invest in the well-being of young people, it gives them a renewed sense of purpose and creates mutual benefits for both generations. Programs that nurture intergenerational connections not only reduce loneliness and challenge age-related stereotypes, but also enhance the mental and physical health of all ages involved.

In fall 2024, we honored and celebrated four local organizations that are fostering a culture of kindness across generations! These four nonprofits received surprise HumanKindness Prize grants from the Center for HumanKindness totaling $50,000! Watch the video to learn about the honorees.

Congratulations to the HumanKindness Prize honorees: 

• ARISE, a Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) program, connects teens and older adults through intergenerational storytelling in the arts, fostering shared experiences and mutual understanding. This five-week initiative uses theatre, music, and visual arts to build relationships that improve well-being, reduce isolation, and enhance community bonds. 

• Catholic Social Services’ Foster Grandparent Program creates opportunities for mutual learning, support, and companionship by pairing older adults with younger students. This initiative benefits students through mentorship and academic support and enriches older adults' lives by providing a sense of purpose and belonging. 

• Festa is focused on alleviating poverty by building meaningful relationships across generations through education, community support, and service programs. The organization’s three-generation English as a Second Language (ESL) program, along with community events and educational workshops, builds language skills across families, creating a foundation for intergenerational support and long-term economic resilience. 

• GrowIN strives to build intentional connections across generations through education, nutrition, wellness, and the arts. Lauren Feyh, GrowIN’s founder, was recently named an Eisner Prize Fellow for their intergenerational gardening program. 

LifeCare Alliance's Meals-on-Wheels Program

More than 7,500 volunteers and 150 LifeCare Alliance employees are the engine behind the Meals-on-Wheels program, delivering 6,000 meals daily to people in our community who are homebound.

The program honors the clients preferences and needs, offering hot, cold, or frozen meals, and accommodating cultural and medical requirements. Clients become friends through the daily deliveries and drivers keep their eye out for their safety. But it isn’t just meals–Meals-on-Wheels also offers assistance with pet care, special holiday treats, and a free box fan in the summer helps keep clients cool. 

Fifty years ago, LifeCare Alliance became the second Meals-on-Wheels provider in the United States. The demand for Meals-on-Wheels is up more than 80 percent over pre-COVID numbers, yet LifeCare Alliance has been able to accept those in need without lengthy waitlists. 

The HumanKindness Prize is accompanied by a $25,000 grant to support Meals-on-Wheels. 

Food Rescue Columbus

In recognition of all the staff, volunteers, and donors’ incredible commitment to eliminating food waste and hunger in our community, Food Rescue Columbus was named a HumanKindness Prize honoree in April 2023!

The HumanKindness Prize is accompanied by a $25,000 grant to further support their mission of diverting food from the landfill to the tables of folks can use it. Thank you Food Rescue for your unwavering dedication to honoring the humanity of those you serve, making our community closer to a place where all can flourish.

Furniture Bank of Central Ohio

Congratulations, Furniture Bank of Central Ohio, on 25 years of turning empty houses into homes! Your work is undoubtedly restoring hope and spreading kindness in the community as your clients get back on their feet and pursue a fresh start.

In May 2023, the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio was awarded the HumanKindness Prize in a surprise announcement at its annual fundraiser. With this distinction, the Furniture Bank received a $25,000 unrestricted grant to support its missions and programs.

Many thanks to the staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners for coming together over the past 25 years to kindly serve more than 75,000 families in our region!

5 Central Ohio Settlement Houses Awarded Inaugural HumanKindness Prize

On November 13, 2022, in celebration of World Kindness Day, the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation announced that five local nonprofit organizations have been selected to receive the first-ever HumanKindness Prize. The HumanKindness Prize, which recognizes nonprofits that exemplify unwavering and intentional human kindness in action, was awarded to central Ohio’s five settlement houses: Central Community House, Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center, Gladden Community House, Godman Guild Association, and St. Stephen’s Community House.

In partnership with the Walter Foundation, a Supporting Foundation of The Columbus Foundation, each HumanKindness Prize honoree received a $10,000 unrestricted grant. The Walter Foundation makes transformational gifts to enhance the health, educational attainment, and quality of life for people in central Ohio on behalf of Margaret and Robert Walter, founder of Cardinal Health.

Part of the international settlement house movement that brought social services to underserved neighborhoods, settlement houses have a deep and rich history in the central Ohio region beginning with the Godman Guild Association’s founding in 1898. Settlement houses are neighborhood centers with a guiding philosophy of building community within neighborhoods to develop their strengths, while providing social services across the lifespan such as child care, housing support, education, senior services, and more. Today, the five remaining central Ohio settlement houses continue to provide critical community-based social services throughout our region.

Watch the video to learn more:

More about the inaugural HumanKindness Prize honorees:

Central Community House is a neighborhood-based community center in the Near East neighborhood of Columbus that offers free comprehensive programming and community services to create a sense of community for all. Founded in 1936, Central Community House’s mission is to empower people to reach their full potential, be self-supporting, and live cooperatively with others by building a community that meets the needs and nourishes the creative aspirations of one another.

Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center (CRC) is a community-based social services agency that brings people together to help individuals and families build upon their strengths. Founded in 1971, CRC promotes self-sufficiency while respecting individual worth, rights, and dignity, creating a greater quality of life for everyone throughout the community. CRC offers a variety of programs and services, including the Choice Food Pantry, the Kindship Care Program, youth and senior services, and more.

Gladden Community House is a nonprofit agency that offers a broad range of social services to individuals, families, and groups. Located in the heart of Franklinton on the near west side of Columbus, Gladden Community House’s mission is to strengthen the well-being of Franklinton’s children, families, and community, and to build a thriving equitable neighborhood. Gladden Community House has been serving the community for more than 115 years.

Godman Guild Association, Columbus’ oldest settlement house, has been proudly serving the community for 124 years. Established in 1898, Godman Guild Association was created to promote strong families and a strong community. Today, the organization focuses on two key areas: youth and family education and workforce development. Godman Guild Association strives to create generations of educated, empowered citizens in all of the neighborhoods that the organization serves.

St. Stephen’s Community House is committed to assisting residents in the Greater Linden area to build community, self-sufficiency, and individual well-being. Founded in 1919 as the Barthman Ave. Catholic Community House, today St. Stephen’s Community House seeks to strengthen families and empower our community by uplifting values of faith, dignity, connection, security, advocacy, and impact. The organization’s vision is that Linden becomes a community of togetherness with endless opportunities.

The HumanKindness Prize is an unrestricted grant to honor and support the mission of the selected nonprofit. Recipients of the HumanKindness Prize are selected by an anonymous panel. The awards are made “out of the blue,” without any application process or specified timing. Continuous discovery of the activities and plans of the central Ohio community’s nonprofits is part of the ongoing due diligence for selecting prize honorees.