Heartland to Host Red Carpet Trivia Night

Try to fend off the paparazzi during an evening of glitz and glamour during Heartland Independent Living Center’s annual trivia night at the Owensville Lions Club on October 11, 2014. This year’s theme is “The Red Carpet Challenge.”

A celebrity costume contest and auction will be among the evening’s festivities.  Come dressed as your favorite celebrity for a red carpet appearance and join in during the auction which will take place during the intermission. Some of the items to be auctioned off will include: St. Louis City Museum tickets, a one night stay at the Big Cedar Lodge, Gateway Arch adult tickets, a limited edition autographed poster by Kansas City Chiefs player Gary Barbaro and much more.

Categories for the trivia night will include four movie categories: scifi/thriller, action, comedy and drama; as well as four television categories: reality, sitcom, miniseries and drama. Each category will contain ten questions.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the challenge will begin at 6:00 p.m. Price of admission is $10 a person and teams can range from two to ten people. Concessions will be available, but outside food/beverages are also permitted.

All proceeds will benefit Heartland’s Emergency Assistance Program. Nearly all those served by the organization are at or below 185% of the federal poverty. These individuals have very limited financial resources.  Unfortunately, an unplanned expense such as a vehicle or home repair very quickly results in their inability to meet basic needs for themselves and their families. In response, Heartland developed the Emergency Assistance program to address these unique needs not addressed by other services. As with all other programs, it is designed to aid consumers in meeting essential needs in order to remain independent and living within their own home.  Funds are most often requested for utility or prescription assistance

Heartland Independent Living Center is a nonprofit, community based organization that serves individuals with disabilities in their quest to remain independent in their own homes.  Services include in-home assistance, home modifications and ramps, adaptive equipment, transition assistance from institution to home, and dental services.  Heartland meets accountability standards and holds the Better Business Bureau Charity Seal of Approval. For additional information on their services contact Heartland at 573-437-5100, or visit their website at www.heartlandilc.org. Follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/heartlandilcenter.   

Heartland Awarded Green Foundation Grant

Human services funder, the Allen P. and Josephine B. Green Foundation, granted $2,500 to Heartland Independent Living Center to establish the Heartland Care Closet.

The Heartland Care Closet will be one element of the Heartland Community Resource Center. The program will provide essential household, personal hygiene and first aid items to qualifying individuals. Heartland serves individuals of varying ages with disabilities. Their current consumer base is predominantly individuals with disabilities at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. The Care Closet falls right in with Heartland’s philosophy of caring for the “whole person” and by doing so promoting a healthier, happier community.

Current plans are to implement the program in early 2015 once procedures are in place, supplies are bought and adequate space has been built to hold them.

“Heartland Independent Living Center has been working to establish a ‘Care Closet’ program for more than two years,” Executive Director Pat Chambers said. “This program will provide individuals with disabilities, living on low fixed incomes, with a few personal hygiene, laundry and household cleaning products, allowing the consumer to have those much-needed items without having to use funds they really need for rent, food, and medications.”

The Green Foundation’s funding primarily focuses on central and eastern Missouri. Approximately 15% of their funding goes towards human services. This funding will allow Heartland to purchase the initial inventory of products and shelving to store the products. An estimated 1,200 people will benefit from this service.

“We continually seek new ways to help individuals with disabilities, and it’s exciting to establish a new service,” Tiffany Reid, Resource Development Coordinator, said. “This seed money will allow us to assist with some very basic human needs while furthering the Green Foundation’s mission to improve the quality of the life for Missourians. I am thrilled that they have granted our request.”

For further information contact Resource Development Coordinator Tiffany Reid at 573-437-5100.

Attention Blind Pension Recipients!

The State of Missouri will soon be making changes to the handling of prescription coverage for Blind Pension recipients.  To ease the transition process, a series of conference calls have been scheduled to brief individuals on the impending modifications.  Hosted by the Missouri Department of Social Services MO Health Net, four calls have been scheduled for:

• Wednesday, October 1, 2014, 7:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 5, 2014, 4:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 7, 2014, 10:00 a.m.
• Thursday, October 9, 2014, 2:00 p.m.

The call may be accessed by dialing 567-314-4017.  At the prompt, enter pass code 25463, followed by the pound sign.
  
Blind Pension recipients are permitted to take part in any of the four calls.  In addition to outlining changes, MO Health Net will be answering questions.  

Beneficiaries are encouraged to participate and make inquiries regarding the changes.