Center receives $7,500 grant

Staff writer

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint’s Day Break Center administrators and staff are celebrating after the organization received its second largest grant to date.

The $7,500 grant was awarded by the Brookdale Foundation, a New York-based trust with a mission of supporting community-based efforts to develop and sustain respite programs for elders with Alzheimer’s disease.

Organizers of the center, which opened in July and offers respite to the caretakers of elderly dementia patients, applied for the competitive grant after realizing that Brookdale’s mission aligned with their own goals.

While the monetary portion of the grant is important, equally important are the valuable connections that Brookdale offers and the educational components the grant supplies, said Day Break organizer Esther Gilchrist.

“It’s really a great grant,” Gilchrist said. “We get so much more than just money.”

As part of the grant, Day Break program director Kelly Hurt will travel to Colorado in October for an all-expenses-paid training seminar. Hurt and her staff will also be given access to Brookdale’s vast database of information and industry connections.

The grant is not tied to any specific area, so the monetary portion will be added to the organization’s general fund for maintaining operations. The center has an annual budget of more than $100,000, much of which comes from grants and community support, said Day Break administrator Norma White.

Even after obtaining a large grant, Day Break organizers cannot celebrate for long before getting back to the important job of fundraising. Gilchrist said the organization has an active fundraising team that continues to work on new and unique ways to keep the organization afloat.

“Thing are going very well. As a matter of fact, the feedback we’re getting from families and participants has just been fantastic,” Gilchrist said.

Located at 502 N. Second Ave., the Day Break Center is open Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The center has room for more enrollment, so call 265-8127 for information on how to apply for admission.