December 27, 2023
Kendal at Hanover Takes Next Steps in Creating an Inclusive Campus
Kendal Charitable Funds (KCF) opened its latest round of affiliate grants last year, inspiring Kendal at Hanover to take new steps in enhancing its welcoming and inclusive campus environment.
The first step was providing the community with SAGECare training, a highly regarded program that increases LGBTQ+ aging cultural competence. The action-oriented training increases awareness and empathy for participants and provides a public signal that the community is a welcoming space. An impressive 90% of Kendal at Hanover staff participated in this training, earning the highest level of SAGECare certification.
For the second step, the campus committed to a three-part gender awareness series, providing education and understanding to the entire community. Funds from KCF provided honorariums to speakers for the series, snacks, and other accommodations for staff and residents attending the sessions.
Three-Part Series Tackles Questions on Gender Awareness from Multiple Perspectives
The three-part series is coordinated and promoted by Kendal at Hanover’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee composed of residents and staff members. The topic of gender awareness and identity has encouraged active participation on the campus and empowered staff and residents to consciously and purposefully be more welcoming and better educated.
“This is a topic that is so prevalent today, both in the community and in the media, “said David Urso, Chief Operating Officer. “We recognized at Kendal at Hanover that this population is not always easily identifiable, and that is one of the many reasons we wanted to provide education on the topic.”
The first session in the gender awareness series introduced the campus to different definitions, fundamental understanding, and guidance on the various concepts in the LGBTQ+ population. This topic was driven by residents’ voices – with residents sharing that they want to be more educated and supportive but do not know where to start conversations.
In the second session, speakers included an area doctor who operates one of the gender services clinics. He was joined by a graduate student who is currently in the process of transitioning, and who openly shared her story and experiences. A third panelist was a woman whose son is transgender and was able to provide a different perspective on the topic.
“The members of the second panel provided great and insightful stories of their experiences. They outlined what being transgender is and is not,” shared David. “They broke down common misconceptions.”
The third and final session is in the queue for January and will explore society’s role and reactions to many issues facing the LGBTQ+ population, especially around gender awareness. It will also facilitate a conversation around how society portrays transgender individuals, both positively and negatively.
“We struck a chord with this topic and found it relatable to everyone on campus,” said David. “It’s been gratifying to provide a forum to open up candid dialogue on a topic that is so important to the Kendal at Hanover community and society today.”
Outreach & Recruitment Efforts
Another aspect of the grant request was to raise external awareness of Kendal at Hanover’s culture of DEIB, especially in relation to staff recruitment. Kendal at Hanover was able to facilitate a campus photo shoot, intentionally incorporating diversity and inclusion. The campus community felt their website could better display the rich and distinct people who make up the Kendal at Hanover community.
The photoshoot featured staff and residents who actually work and live at Kendal at Hanover. Many of the photos will be incorporated on Kendal at Hanover and The Kendal Corporation’s website in the coming months.
Additionally, a radio ad campaign featuring a staff member sharing her experience at Kendal at Hanover, focused on the campus’s welcoming and supportive culture, launched and is running the last quarter of this year.
The KCF grant paid for the photographer to visit the site, share the assets for the web and the radio advertising.
Funds provided by Kendal Charitable Funds
Kendal believes that a spirit of inclusion and a culture of diversity enrich and strengthen communities, people and services. Creating welcoming and educated environments requires concentrated efforts and is the shared responsibility of each community and team member.
Kendal Charitable Funds, incorporated in 1989, supports the charitable goals and aspirations of The Kendal Corporation, its network of affiliates and the wider world of aging. The 2022 Affiliate Grant program provided support to Kendal affiliates in areas focused on increasing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and a sense of belonging, particularly among employees. Each month, we plan to share a story from a Kendal affiliate to highlight the strides they made in DEIB initiatives as it relates to the workforce.
Kendal at Hanover Brings Education and Understanding Around Gender Awareness and Identity
Kendal at Hanover Takes Next Steps in Creating an Inclusive Campus
Kendal Charitable Funds (KCF) opened its latest round of affiliate grants last year, inspiring Kendal at Hanover to take new steps in enhancing its welcoming and inclusive campus environment.
The first step was providing the community with SAGECare training, a highly regarded program that increases LGBTQ+ aging cultural competence. The action-oriented training increases awareness and empathy for participants and provides a public signal that the community is a welcoming space. An impressive 90% of Kendal at Hanover staff participated in this training, earning the highest level of SAGECare certification.
For the second step, the campus committed to a three-part gender awareness series, providing education and understanding to the entire community. Funds from KCF provided honorariums to speakers for the series, snacks, and other accommodations for staff and residents attending the sessions.
Three-Part Series Tackles Questions on Gender Awareness from Multiple Perspectives
The three-part series is coordinated and promoted by Kendal at Hanover’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee composed of residents and staff members. The topic of gender awareness and identity has encouraged active participation on the campus and empowered staff and residents to consciously and purposefully be more welcoming and better educated.
“This is a topic that is so prevalent today, both in the community and in the media, “said David Urso, Chief Operating Officer. “We recognized at Kendal at Hanover that this population is not always easily identifiable, and that is one of the many reasons we wanted to provide education on the topic.”
The first session in the gender awareness series introduced the campus to different definitions, fundamental understanding, and guidance on the various concepts in the LGBTQ+ population. This topic was driven by residents’ voices – with residents sharing that they want to be more educated and supportive but do not know where to start conversations.
In the second session, speakers included an area doctor who operates one of the gender services clinics. He was joined by a graduate student who is currently in the process of transitioning, and who openly shared her story and experiences. A third panelist was a woman whose son is transgender and was able to provide a different perspective on the topic.
“The members of the second panel provided great and insightful stories of their experiences. They outlined what being transgender is and is not,” shared David. “They broke down common misconceptions.”
The third and final session is in the queue for January and will explore society’s role and reactions to many issues facing the LGBTQ+ population, especially around gender awareness. It will also facilitate a conversation around how society portrays transgender individuals, both positively and negatively.
“We struck a chord with this topic and found it relatable to everyone on campus,” said David. “It’s been gratifying to provide a forum to open up candid dialogue on a topic that is so important to the Kendal at Hanover community and society today.”
Outreach & Recruitment Efforts
Another aspect of the grant request was to raise external awareness of Kendal at Hanover’s culture of DEIB, especially in relation to staff recruitment. Kendal at Hanover was able to facilitate a campus photo shoot, intentionally incorporating diversity and inclusion. The campus community felt their website could better display the rich and distinct people who make up the Kendal at Hanover community.
The photoshoot featured staff and residents who actually work and live at Kendal at Hanover. Many of the photos will be incorporated on Kendal at Hanover and The Kendal Corporation’s website in the coming months.
Additionally, a radio ad campaign featuring a staff member sharing her experience at Kendal at Hanover, focused on the campus’s welcoming and supportive culture, launched and is running the last quarter of this year.
The KCF grant paid for the photographer to visit the site, share the assets for the web and the radio advertising.
Funds provided by Kendal Charitable Funds
Kendal believes that a spirit of inclusion and a culture of diversity enrich and strengthen communities, people and services. Creating welcoming and educated environments requires concentrated efforts and is the shared responsibility of each community and team member.
Kendal Charitable Funds, incorporated in 1989, supports the charitable goals and aspirations of The Kendal Corporation, its network of affiliates and the wider world of aging. The 2022 Affiliate Grant program provided support to Kendal affiliates in areas focused on increasing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and a sense of belonging, particularly among employees. Each month, we plan to share a story from a Kendal affiliate to highlight the strides they made in DEIB initiatives as it relates to the workforce.
