History
After seven (7) years of blessings, we felt it necessary to check in with Second Baptist Church and the community who consistently support our endeavors.
The vision to help seniors in the community was first conceived in the fall of 2004 by Wm. LaRue Dillard, PhD. Bishop of Second Baptist Church, Inc., Monrovia, Ca. During that time, several seniors within the parish became prey to predatory lending practices. To address this issue, Bishop Dillard wanted to create a program which would educate seniors within the parish and the community on how to avoid being victims of scams. Within the year, SET FOR LIFE(Senior Education and Training for Living Informed Futures Everyday) was born with the mission - "Through partnership building with our local community, provide seniors 50+ with practical skills, education and training to succeed in today's ever changing society.
SET for LIFE began reaching out to the community to form local and regional partnerships that would provide expertise in the area of finances and other issues relevant to the Monrovia/Duarte and surrounding communities. September, 2005 SET for LIFE held its first Annual Expo focusing on "Financial Literacy". Dozens of vendors - E-Trade, Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo, FDIC, LA County for the Aging, Huntington Hospital, Arcadia Hospital, Elizabeth Cancer Detection Center, Santa Anita Family Services, Southern California Edison, AARP and the Arcadia, Duarte and Monrovia Senior Centers and many more. Also in attendance to show their support were the Mayors and Council Members of Monrovia and Duarte along with Assembly Member Anthony Portantino.
In 2006 SET for LIFE was honored by the Black Chamber of Commerce and in 2010 by the City of Duarte for its outreach to the community.
In order to continue with the mission, the organization had to apply to the government for a nonprofit status. SET for LIFE became an independent federally approved nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation in February, 2007 and ,therefore, was allowed to solicit corporate businesses for grants and donations.
In 2007 in addition to the annual Expo, SET for LIFE began offering additional quarterly educational seminars. These were free to seniors and their families and included 1) "Disaster Awareness" where Southern Cal Edison, American Red Cross, the Gas Company and the Fire Department offered information on what to do in case of a natural disaster or act of terrorism. 2) "Living Wills & Trust" along with "Pre-need Preparation" was provided by Woods Valentine Mortuary and a local attorney. 3) SET for LIFE encouraged the community to get involved in "Recycling". 4) SET for LIFE hosted "Fear Not the Technology World" a six-week course for beginning computer classes for seniors. 5) SET for LIFE provided a good old fashioned "Sewing Bee" where seniors learned how to make purses from recyclable materials. 6) In partnership with the City of Hope, SET for LIFE hosted a blood drive to inform the community of the need for blood and platelet donations. SET for LIFE would like to host more educational classes, however, more volunteers and funds are needed. There is so much talent in the community that SET for LIFE is recruiting anyone who has a passion for working with a grassroots agency in order to build partnerships and help educate and train seniors to succeed in today's everchanging society. If you have this passion and desire, we would LOVE to hear from you.
Because of a reduction in grants as a result of the economy, during the past two years the Board has had to make a decision to cut back on several projects. In 2010 the organization still held its 6th annual Expo - "A Salute to Caregivers".Ten selected caregivers received the "Caregivers Award" for dedicated service rendered. It was to be a one-time thing,but because of the numerous applications for outstanding caregivers, the Board decided to make this prestigious award an annual event. In the latter part of 2010, still without any major grant funding and in preparation for the 2011 Expo, the Board decided to get proactive and take advantage of "Zumba Fitness" establishing a fundraising event that would not only bring everyone together to get healthy and fit, but also raise funds for the 2011 SET for LIFE Expo. "Zumba Fitness" has also introduced and provided opportunities for seniors and families to have fun TOGETHER!!!! SET for LIFE will continue its" Zumba Fitness" series on Saturday, June 25 and October 25,2011.
Through the networking of the Board of Directors and volunteers, SET for LIFE, has created many local and regional partnerships. The Annual Expo invites companies and organizations who can provide services to help seniors. They are invited to sponsor a booth which helps defray the cost(food, tents, tables, printing, marketing, etc.) of this FREE event. If the sponsorship is unaffordable, they are requested to provide a raffle gift valued at twenty-five dollars($25) or more. This is done because we value the services or products that they offer. Second Baptist Church's contribution to this event has been to allow it to be hosted on its campus for a minimal fee.
Several partnerships have been formed - the Ixthus Ministry of Second Baptist Church which performs plays during Black History Month; the Board of Junior Ushers of Second Baptist Church together with a new Black owned business, "Father Earth" to spread the importance of recycling; the United Women's Fellowship Guild of Second Baptist Church through our "Zumba Fitness" series; the Elizabeth Cancer detection Center which allows women fifty years and over to receive mammograms. When the Center could not offer the mammograms in 2010, SET for LIFE offered solutions for women to get this much needed checkup; the Los Angeles County and the Monrovia Public Libraries have provided information regarding family literacy programs.
We look forward to the future by staying abreast of current issues facing seniors 50+ and by bringing additional partnerships to offer needed resources to our community. On April 25 SET for LIFE will launch its new website and is presently visible on Facebook, Twitter, Bundle and other social media sites.
We also look forward to reaching out to partners in the food industry to assist the "Pantry Ministry" of Second Baptist Church through the obtaining of a grant.This Ministry has been consistently feeding the homeless for many years. We have high hopes of bringing back our small workshops like "Pass the Spatula", a workshop where senior women pass their life experiences in cooking, child-rearing and running a household to younger women.
We are in the early stages of planning our 7th Annual Senior Expo 50+ and are always open for suggestions for improving the organization to ensure that we are mission focused. If you have suggestions for a workshop, event, a prospective partner, please let us know. You may contact any of the Board members.
We thank Second Baptist Church's Bishop and congregation for your continued support and encouragement. We look forward to a continued partnership.