We have exciting news to share! Just over two years ago Paula and Tom Mims hosted the “VISTE is Blooming!” event to announce the establishment of VISTE’s first Endowment Fund. The goal of the Fund is to generate a steady and reliable source of funding to help support VISTE’s mission – to enable elderly persons to remain safe and independent in their own homes. Thanks to generous contributions from the community and a matching gift from the George Jenkins Foundation, VISTE’s Endowment Fund has now reached its first milestone – $1M!! We couldn’t be more excited and grateful. THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this possible.
Polk County is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, and the need for essential services for local seniors continues to grow. VISTE now provides essential services to over 4,500 at-risk seniors aged 70 and above in Lakeland, Bartow, Mulberry, and Fort Meade. Our oldest client is 108 and still living at home! Thanks to your generosity and our 1,000+ volunteers, all services are free of charge to VISTE clients.
Long-term sustainability for client programs is top of mind at VISTE. Our intention is to provide essential services for local seniors in need not just year to year, but for generations to come. Our overall goal for the Endowment is $2.5 million, which will generate approximately $100,000 a year in unrestricted funds to help support VISTE’s mission.
VISTE is not part of a network of any kind. We have no earned income, no debt, and we don’t seek federal funding. We are simply “neighbors helping neighbors.” Our organization and client programs are funded by friends like you – caring individuals, local businesses, churches, neighborhood and professional groups, corporations, and charitable foundations. We also receive significant in-kind support. On behalf of our 4,500+ clients, THANK YOU! Your support makes a world of difference to a local senior in need.