Mission Statement
“Doing good deeds to meet the elderly’s needs.” ™
The Friends Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving individuals 60 years of age or older and is committed to providing support, including financial assistance, to the elderly in need, whether living in a nursing home, an independent living center, or aging in place at their own home in the greater Dripping Springs, Texas area.
History and Purposes
The Friends Foundation was originally incorporated as Friends of Hill Country Care in January 2003 to provide financial support to Hill Country Care Nursing Home in Dripping Springs, Texas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community-owned and managed facility. Friends of Hill Country Care raised money through an annual barbecue fund raiser and grant writing to provide monies to keep the nursing home open and to address significant repair and deferred maintenance issues.
When the nursing home became a for-profit corporation in March 2004, Friends of Hill Country Care discussed their role with the new management of the nursing home. Both parties agreed that providing support to the residents at the nursing home instead of providing funds for capital needs was an appropriate and an important role the organization still needed to fulfill. Friends of Hill Country Care changed its name and broadened the scope of its purpose while continuing to keep the needs of the residents of Hill Country Care a part of its mission.
The scope of the organization was broadened to include the following purposes:
- Provide financial support to the qualifying elderly in the greater Dripping Springs, Texas area.
- Provide meals to the elderly through Our Daily Bread™, our flagship program, thanks to local volunteer drivers.
- Underwrite our Medical Alert Program through Lifeline, which supplies medical alert buttons with 24/7 access to trained care specialists who can dispatch the emergency help needed.
- Support any other non-profit organization which provides care to the elderly or serves the greater Dripping Springs community and is exempt from federal taxation under Section 501(a) of the Code as an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Code.
- Underwrite the “Butterflies are Free” program, a palliative care program through Hill Country Nursing Nursing and Rehab.
The Board of Directors
The Friends Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of volunteers from the Dripping Springs community. No member of the Board of Directors receives a salary or other compensation except to reimburse the Board member for approved expenses advanced on behalf of The Friends Foundation. All proceeds from any monies raised or donated to our organization are used to benefit The Friends Foundation’s goals and purpose in accordance with its by-laws.
The Board of Directors of The Friends Foundation is currently composed of:
- Kathy Carriker
- Kathy and Wayland D. Clark
- Grace and Alex Dormont
- Theresa Tod
- Glenn Weichert
- Beth and Mike Woodward
The Friends Foundation would not be what it is today and could not provide our services without the time and effort of its many volunteers throughout the years. While all of our volunteers are too numerous to list, we would like to recognize and express our appreciation to the following former members of our Board of Directors:
- Jack and Toni Alberty
- Shannon Burke
- Harley and Patti Clark
- Ann and Shawn Connolly
- Penny Dear Dellana
- Nicole English
- Karen Glass
- Cleo Glosson
- Betty Gregoire
- Margaret Guzaldo
- Debra and Robert Harris
- Cindy Krudop
- Donna LaFitte
- Beverly and Jim Madding
- Judy and Melvin McNair
- Barbara Meyers
- Doris and Jaime Molina
- Ann Passino
- Barbara and Jim Polkinghorn
- Susan Purcell
- Brian and Laurie Sjolseth
- Bobby Tod
- Nong Weitzel
- Terri Wood