Organization
Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers (IVC) of Southwestern PA is a faith-based initiative
serving the frail elderly living independently in the City of Pittsburgh and most of Allegheny County.
IVC is a program of Family Services of Western Pennsylvania, a 501(c)3
non-profit agency that supports children, adults, and families. The mission of FSWP is to foster the
capacities and skills in families and individuals to direct their own lives, promote recovery and
resiliency and create a productive, caring community.
IVC is composed of a network of 48 diverse religious congregations
and dozens of community-based volunteers throughout the county who are recruited,
trained, mobilized and supported to assist the vulnerable and
frail elderly in their neighborhoods. Volunteers help with many
of the tasks of daily living, enabling care recipients to remain
independent in their own homes for as long as they choose. More
than 450 volunteers have been trained through the IVC program, providing more
than 9,500 hours of service to nearly 1,000 older adults annually.
History
In the early 1990s, aware of the large number of older adults
living in their own homes or apartments in Allegheny County, The
Jewish Healthcare Foundation started Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers
(IVC) of Southwestern PA. IVC became an independent 501(c)(3)
organization in 1993 and merged with Family Services in October
2006.
IVC is affiliated with the Faith in Action program of the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest healthcare foundation
in the country. Based at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina, Faith in Action is a nationwide movement,
with over 1,100 interfaith volunteer caregiving programs throughout
the United States. Locally, IVC belongs to a new, regional IVC
of the Alleghenies network.
Governance & Staffing
In Pittsburgh, the professional staff includes:
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Program Coordinator
Rachel Steigerwalt, MSPPM |
rachel@ivcswpa.org
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Volunteer Administrator
Marian T. Gentile, R.N. |
marian@ivcswpa.org
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Program Assistant
Roberta (Robbie) Isaacson Lisi |
robbie@ivcswpa.org
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Budget & Funding
IVC receives funding from
government contracts, foundations, United Way project grants and
Contributor Choice gifts (#4666), individuals, special events, and congregations/judicatories.
Thank you to all the generous contributors, past and present,
who have helped IVC advance its mission to aid the frail elderly
of Allegheny County.
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