FY 23-24 Program Report

Agency Name: Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County Program Name: Empowered Aging Programs Equity Dimension: Age

Condition: Thriving Families Tier: Medium Budget: $40,500.00

Annual Goal FY 23-24	Annual Goal FY 23-24
Unduplicated Participants     Total Unduplicated Participants 550 542	How Many Activities/Services Will Be Provided?     40 Days of A Matter of Balance Programming 40 32 750 Stay Connected phone calls will be made to program participants. 750 656 50,000 hours of Networking – AmeriCorp Senior hours of pro-social activity. 50000 44535
Annual Goal FY 23-24 Age     0-5 0% 0% 6-18 0% 0% 19-59 0% 0% 60+ 100% 100% Unknown 0% 0%	Annual Goal FY 23-24 Language     English 68% 72% Spanish 32% 28% Other 0% 0% Unknown 0% 0%
Ethnicity     African American 2% 1% Asian 1% 1% Latino 15% 19% Multi-racial 2% 1% Native American/Alaskan 0% 0% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0% 0% White 80% 78% Other 0% 0% Unknown 0% 0%	Gender     Female 70% 72% Male 25% 24% Transgender- Female 3% 1% Transgender- Male 3% 0% Other 0% 0% Unknown 0% 0% Nonbinary 0% 0%
Location     Capitola 10% 8% Santa Cruz 20% 24% Scotts Valley 10% 9% Watsonville 20% 19% Unincorporated Mid-County (e.g., Live Oak, Soquel, Aptos ) 20% 31% Unincorporated North County (e.g. , Davenport )  5% 1% Unincorporated San Lorenzo Valley (e.g., Ben Lomond ) 10% 5% Unincorporated South County (e.g., Freedom ) 5% 3% Unknown 0% 0% Out of County 0% 0%

Annual Goal FY 23-24   Annual Goal FY 23-24 How Well Did We Provide Service?     How many participants did you survey? 550 221 80% of program participants report being either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with program services as measured by a one-question participant survey that will be completed by June 30th of each FY. 80% 97%

Annual Goal FY 23-24   Annual Goal FY 23-24 Is Anyone Better Off?     80% of all senior participants will report feeling less isolated due to engagement with one or more of our Empowered Aging Programsas measured by post service surveys. 80% 89% 80% of Participants in Matter of Balance report increases in balance and mobility after completing the course as measured on pre and post-tests. 80% 92% 75% of Volunteers have improved socio-emotional development; specifically engage in prosocial activities, as measured by time records quarterly. 75% 88%

Additional CORE Questions  (The maximum length is limited to 1200 characters in the below boxes)
1. Briefly describe any progress and/or successes your CORE program achieved implementing its activities during FY 2023-2024. (Recommended 2-4 sentences)	Our AmeriCorps Seniors program recruited 15% more volunteers this year as compared to last year. These volunteers are assisting with important community safety net programs that provide access to food and transportation. In addition AmeriCoprs Senior volunteers support nonprofits that provide assistance to programs that increase physical activity and enhance senior well-being. This field is required
2. (Optional, Success Stories) Please share a short story about the experience of a participant or family that received services funded through this contract during FY 2023-2024. Please state the specific activity that was provided and the impact or positive change that occurred as a result of the service(s) provided. *Please make sure to change any identifying information, such as names.*	82 year old Ruth completed the evidence-based, fall prevention class, A Matter of Balance in April of 2024. On a post survey, Ruth reported the following: “I just stopped exercising. It is shocking how quickly I lost so many benefits of exercising. This class got me back on track. I feel 100% better overall since taking A Matter of Balance.” Ruth has told her friends about the program and also started a walking group at her mobile home park. In a recent call, Ruth told our staff member that she keeps up with the exercises in the Matter of Balance workbook and does them 3 days a week in addition to getting together with her walking group.
3. Please describe any challenges your agency experienced in implementing its CORE funded program.	One of the scheduled Matter of Balance programs had to be postponed due to instructor unavailability. The coach's commitment is to teach two month long classes. Sometimes this can be a barrier for volunteers. This field is required
4.Have you encountered challenges in collecting CORE program or participant data?	Yes No This field is required
5. If you answered yes, what challenges did you experience? (Recommended 2-4 sentences)	We have experienced challenges in collecting monthly hours for our AmeriCoprs Senior volunteers. We make every effort possible to collect the hours. We send our email reminders with links to our online website portal, we send reminders in our newsletter and also call the volunteers directly.
6. What technical assistance can HSD or the CORE Institute provide to support your data collection activities?	A training on designing effective surveys would be welcome. This field is required
7. During FY 2023-2024, did your CORE program staff participate in a CORE Institute event (e.g., Coffee Chats or Conversations)?	Yes No This field is required
8. During FY 2023-2024, how did your CORE program engage its staff on issues of equity?	Staff attended training in the following areas: Gender identities and sexual orientation Unconscious Bias Anti-Harassment DEI This field is required
9. In the CORE RFP, your program indicated an equity issue your program would address. How has your program impacted this equity issue in FY 2023-2024?	As compared to last year, our programs have all increased the number of low-income senior participants we serve. We have also been able to expand A Matter of Balance to reach more underserved areas of the county. We also are offering a mono-lingual Spanish class in South County. This field is required