It was over 20 years ago that the Director of Philadelphia Residential group homes, Rod Hibbard, died after a short illness. In his will, Rod left a bequest to KenCrest which was to be used to help staff who found themselves in financial difficulty.

A small group of staff meet regularly to review requests for assistance from what is now called the Rod Hibbard Memorial Fund for Staff Emergencies. This process is conducted as anonymously as possible. Staff applying for assistance need to submit their request through their supervisor.

Examples of financial hardship include imminent eviction, loss of possessions due to fire or other disaster, unaffordable medical costs and imminent shut off of utilities.

The fund is maintained through interest earned on the bequest but more importantly through staff contributions made through a payroll deduction. You can sign up to contribute whatever amount you are comfortable with, from $1.00 on up per pay… and it is tax deductible.

Think of it this way: if each of the almost 2,00 KenCrest staff gave $1.00 per paycheck, the Rod Hibbard Memorial Fund for Staff Emergencies would have $52,000 per year available for staff assistance.

Those of you who have been contributing to the fund should be proud to know that over the past 21 years you have helped 424 of your fellow staff with $249,400 in assistance. Congratulations and thank you!