The Season of Giving

As the holiday season approaches, many things come to mind: holiday shopping, decorating, meal planning, and giving back, to name a few. Giving something back should not be complicated and does not require great wealth or resources. If your life has been touched by Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia, you probably want to do something. You can always volunteer your time and talents at Kemper House but Kemper’s Memory Care Fund offers another solution. 

The Memory Care Fund was founded in 2006 by Betty Kemper and her daughter Kristin, in conjunction with the Community West Foundation.  It was established as a donor-advised fund to benefit those with memory loss and the people who care for them. The fund was set up in response to the many family and friends of Kemper House asking for a way to make a tax-deductible donation in memory or honor of a loved one with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. 

The Memory Care Fund’s purpose is two-fold; to provide enhanced programming opportunities to those living with memory loss, and to support training and education efforts for individuals who encounter or care for someone with memory loss. Employees at Kemper House are encouraged to submit requests for funding certain activities and enhancements to the lives of the residents and staff or other educational opportunities. An Advisory Board then reviews and approves requests that further the mission and purpose. The Fund supports Kemper House programs as well as community outreach, training, and education. 

Over the last year, your generous donations allowed us to do so many wonderful things. We were able to update our chicken coops and keep our Kemper gardens looking beautiful. We’ve renewed our Music & Memory certification, as well as purchased new headphones and MP3 players for this amazing program. The funds have also been used for our various outings and events throughout the year – trips to baseball games, trolley rides, our Magic of Christmas Lights bus trips, and the Polar Xpress Ice Cream Truck visit to both Kemper Houses. Your donations have helped in the community by providing invaluable Alzheimer’s and dementia training for our local police, fire, and emergency response individuals who encounter people struggling with the disease on a regular basis.

At Kemper House, we are always continuing to strive for ways to support the needs of our staff and to enrich the quality of life for our residents. The Memory Care Fund helps make this goal a reality. There are many simple ways to help: 

• New this year – you can make a donation online by following this link:
  Memory Care Fund Donation Link. Under the dropdown box, click “Memory Care Fund (Kemper Houses). If you would like your donation to be in honor or in memory of someone, be sure to click the box “Dedicate my donation in honor or in memory of someone”. You can type your loved one’s name in that box.
• You can make a donation in honor/memory of your loved one by writing a check to “Community West Foundation” and mailing/dropping off at either Kemper House location.
• You can purchase flowers from our annual Kemper House flower sale held in May. All proceeds are donated to the Memory Care Fund.
• Purchase the book Talk to Me by Carol Sereix, available at the front desk at both Kemper Houses. Talk to Me is a compilation of some of the best stories and poems written by Kemper House residents over the last 15 years. Talk to Me is a compilation of wonderful resident stories as told to Carol Sereix, Kemper House’s ecumenical minister. The book brings hope and inspiration to all those who have or know someone who has Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias. All proceeds are donated to the Memory Care Fund.  You can watch the video about this production here on our website: https://kemperhouse.com/kemper-difference/

If you are making plans for charitable giving this year, we hope you will consider Kemper House and the Memory Care Fund. If you have made a donation to the Memory Care Fund in the past, we sincerely thank you. From all of our residents and Kemper House staff, we wish you and your family every happiness this holiday season and throughout 2024.

Amanda Radca

The Kemper Company