Our Organization

Caring Carroll Inc. is a non-profit 501c3 organization that screens and trains volunteers to support older and disabled adults in Carroll County, MD. In 1999 a small group of organizations, led by the Partnership for A Healthier Carroll County(PHCC), determined that there was a need to check on isolated frail elderly and disabled adults that wished to remain living independently in the community. At the time, a phone safety check program was started called Seniors Keep In Touch also known as SKIT. After a number of successful years, it became evident that those in the program needed much more than a phone call. It was determined that there was no other agency that provided these same services to low-income and, particularly, for free using volunteers. There were and continue to be long waiting lists for services for low-income seniors through county and state programs.

In 2005, the Partnership for A Healthier Carroll County applied for and received  from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation a grant, known as Faith in Action. The organization functioned as “Faith in Action, Neighbors Helping Neighbors” with volunteers who provided non-medical services (these are services that are on the Activities of Daily Living Scale). The Board voted to adopt the name of Caring Carroll, which became incorporated and received its public charity status from the IRS on December 6, 2007.

Volunteers provided, for free, services such as transportation to and from appointments, help with errands, friendly visits, light housekeeping, gardening, yard work and small home repairs. 

Caring Carroll also provides financial assistance for services that are beyond the scope of a volunteer and may require an experienced contractor.

Caring Carroll served between 118-150 care receivers annually from 2007 – 2017.  While some care receivers only need one of the services mentioned above, most need several of the services and receive them on a weekly basis through the coordination of volunteers, or possibly, a one-on-one match.

At the beginning, all of Caring Carroll’s Care Receivers have been low-income seniors. Individuals were referred by the Bureau of Aging and Disabilities, the Carroll County Health Department, Carroll Hospital, Carroll County Department of Social Services, William Kahlert Regional Cancer Center, American Cancer Society, Access Carroll, Human Services Programs, Carroll Home Care/Home Care Maryland LLC, Carroll Hospice, senior housing units, other agencies, churches, and facilities. We also receive many self-referrals and requests from family members who may live in other counties or, even, out of state.

Caring Carroll is fortunate to, currently, have over 120 volunteers, of which more than 50% are active on a weekly basis, many of whom help multiple care receivers. The majority of these volunteers, themselves, are over 60. Volunteers receive initial training, a background check, and ongoing support from the Executive Director and Program Coordinator with individual situations and continued training. Caring Carroll also provides volunteer liability, accident, and excess auto insurance, which offers security to volunteers and allows them to feel comfortable working directly with care receivers, especially when it comes to providing transportation.

Because of our beginning as a Faith in Action Grant, Caring Carroll, Inc. has a Board of Directors with representation from 5 local churches (Grace Lutheran Church, Westminster United Methodist, Trinity Lutheran Church, St. John Catholic Church, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Community) and other community organizations such as Carroll County Health Department, The Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County and concerned citizens.

The Carroll County Health Department, a State of Maryland agency, had provided, in-kind, a Program Coordinator for a number of years but due to state budget cuts, the in-kind position was decreased from 32 hours per week in 2015 to 20 hours per week in 2016. 

In May 2016, a Board Member of Caring Carroll was attending The Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County Annual Meeting where Greg Kahlert was receiving the Karen Feroli Community Leadership Award. At the meeting, Roberta Kahlert was talking with the Board Member who had recently retired and asked them what they were going to do now that they were retired. The Board Member mentioned how Caring Carroll needed to become more independent. Roberta asked if they had ever asked The Kahlert Foundation.

Caring Carroll had not asked. So began an awesome relationship with The Kahlert Foundation. 

In June of 2016, Caring Carroll’s 100% volunteer Board of Directors developed a Strategic Plan that included hiring a part-time Executive Director. The application was submitted and a grant from The Kahlert Foundation.was received.

In October of 2016, Caring Carroll was able to hire a part-time Executive Director for 30 hours per week. With an Executive Director, the plan would be to see the organization expand with more services county-wide, become more financially independent, and have a continued sustainability plan. This expansion would result in larger numbers of clients that will be able to access and receive more services, more consistent administration of the volunteers, program coordination and support for a larger program and increase sustainability. The Executive Director immediately began raising funds, administrative duties, and future planning, including the development of a more comprehensive business plan.

The Executive Director began recruiting volunteers to serve on a Fundraising committee. Responsibilities of the committee included more frequent events, grant application review, and fundraising events/project planning and implementation. The Executive Director is responsible for the fundraising plan including grants with the hope of increasing the organization’s current budget, expanding its services, and beginning to create a more independent organization with its own paid leadership and office space. Since the Fundraising Committee began in February 2017, it has raised just over $17,000 through a benefit concert, flea markets, cookbook sales, private donations, small grants, and events. It held Bingos in 2017, 2018 and 2019 raising between $2,700 – $3100 each year. 

When SKIT existed, they had held a purse auction to raise funds and the Fundraising Committee decided it was time to try that event again. The Purse Auction was held in 2018 and 2019 online using the Bidding Owl application for a week to 10 days. Any Purse not sold was taken to the Westminster Flower and Jazz Festival in downtown Westminster to be sold there. The purse auction became 100% an online auction in 2020 because of covid-19.  

A Program Coordination Committee which includes volunteers, healthcare professionals, and staff was also formed to work on increasing volunteer involvement in the administrative duties of Caring Carroll.  The leaders would work with the other volunteers who want to provide their time in each of these areas. As part of this committee, we will continue to work on finding a more efficient volunteer tracking software program. This committee has also updated care receiver intake guidelines and forms.

Simultaneously, the Executive Director began recruiting a Strategic Planning Committee among our volunteers and they began meeting in early 2017, as well as, held a strategic planning retreat. A copy of the current Strategic Plan is available upon request.

The health department reduced its contribution of a Program Coordinator to 16 hours per week on July 1, 2017 and finally needed to eliminate it completely in March of 2020. With the covid pandemic, the health department was no longer able to provide this position but remains a representative on the Board of Directors. Caring Carroll continued by replacing the in-kind staff person with volunteers who assumed the duties including meeting representation, in-home interviews and responsibility for the activities of the Program Committee. 

Caring Carroll has pursued funding from many sources including but not limited to the Carroll County Health Department, Weinberg Foundation, United Way, Knott Foundation, Point Breeze Credit Union, Aflac, and the Stulman Foundation to name a few. Of these grant applications, only the Health Department was awarded. The various reasons given for denied funding is because we are either too small or there were just so many grant applications and we were not selected. However, we continued to be supported by The Kahlert Foundation in 2018, 2019 and 2020. 

In July of 2020, Caring Carroll began investigating the ability to expand services and started by contacting Neighbor Ride, a nonprofit in Howard County that does similar transportation services but charges a fee and uses a subsidy fund for those who are eligible. We investigated software programs that would help us organize our services and purchased Assisted Rides in November 2020. Thus began our current revised Strategic Plan and development of a business plan. 

In January 2021, Caring Carroll received transportation enhancement funds from The Kahlert Foundation with the purpose of providing transportation to all seniors over 60 years of age regardless of income and to develop a fee for services to improve sustainability of the organization. These same funds allowed us to hire a part-time Program Coordinator who would be in the office Monday through Friday to better serve those who called into the office. Funds also allowed for improved marketing strategies to attract more volunteers.

Caring Carroll continues to grow with support from the local community and representatives on its Board from Carroll Hospital/Lifebridge, Carroll County Bureau of Aging and Disabilities, the Partnership for a Healthier Carroll County, the Carroll County Health Department, Sturgill & Associates CPAs,  and other invaluable community members.