Kindness, Inc. is a 'Faith in Action' agency and a Jubilee Ministry Center providing essential services to our neighbors in Baxter and Marion Counties, Arkansas, who need a little help to remain independent while they age in their own homes.

Our trained volunteers provide transportation to medical and other appointments, grocery shopping assistance, respite for primary care givers, minor home repairs, installation of safety bars and wheelchair ramps, reassurance calls, friendly visitation and other non-medical but essential services. All of services are free to qualifying residents regardless of age, income, race or religion.

Kindness, Inc. is a ministry that helps those who "fall through the cracks" of other community health and social service agencies and who do not have family and friends to meet their needs.

The services offered by Kindness, Inc. do not duplicate the services of any other agency for which the requesting care receiver may be eligible.

Our agency is governed by a Board of Directors. We have one full-time and three part-time employees and several volunteer office aides. Volunteers come from many faith congregations; financial support from foundations, charitable trusts, several area churches, social and civic groups and from individuals. Several youth groups also assist in special events to benefit Kindness, Inc. care receivers.

The benefits we provide the Twin Lakes communities are numerous, including...

	Care receivers no longer have to relocate to other areas for easy access to essential services – thus keeping dollars spent on those services in the local community.
	Medical care is met on a timely basis preventing minor problems from becoming major illnesses. Those with serious health conditions get the treatment they need.
	Social isolation is alleviated; thus helping Kindness, Inc. Clients stay healthier, happier, more independent and, as a result, their health care needs and costs decrease.
	Caring and sensitive communities are built by providing opportunities for volunteers of all ages to serve and interact with their neighbors in need.
	Seniors who volunteer remain productive and experience great satisfaction and less stress through helping others which improves their own mental and physical health.

It was a very busy 2007...

	Provided 2,300 round trips to healthcare and other appointments. (During our first ten years, we made approximately 21,000 round trips for healthcare alone!)
	Assisted with many other necessities like grocery shopping, respite care & check-book balancing...
	Installed over 50 grab bars ... Built & installed 17 ramps.
	Been unable to provide the assistance needed by our neighbors in need at least twice each week
	Continuously had at least two people on a waiting list for ramps to be built or grab bars installed.

	Attend one of our monthly orientations and become one of the 100 volunteers who give independence to our care receivers...
	Attend one of our monthly orientations and offer your skills as a handyperson or carpenter to modify the homes of our care recipients to ensure against falls...
	Provide information to religious and civic leaders about otherwise unmet needs of the frail, elderly and disabled residents of our communities, especially as pertains to transportation.

We are often asked to personify the typical recipient of our services. One care receiver stands out in our mind. He epitomizes the reason why agencies such as ours are so important.

Joseph was 65 when he and his wife, Helen, moved to the Twin Lakes region in 1985. They bought a simple home with about an acre of land. For seven years, they were very happy as they pursued their favorite activities: they tended their gardens together; he went fishing with a buddy, and she joined the Welcome Club. Along the way, Joseph developed macular degeneration and had to stop driving. Joseph and Helen didn’t let that interfere with their living their dream ... until 1992 ... when Helen collapsed and died of a sudden heart attack.

Joseph was devastated. The love of his life was gone. He refused to move back to be nearer his sons and their families. He loved his home and gardens and he loved fishing. His only difficulty was being dependent on his friends. Joseph tended to his home and gardens. He still went fishing with his friend, and the friend and his wife included him in their weekly shopping trips. Occasionally, they invited him along when they went out to dinner. Joseph hated to make a pest of himself so he never asked for more. Not realizing that he needed anything more, his friends didn’t offer anything else.

When his prescription for blood pressure medication was gone, he needed to see his doctor again. But he didn’t want to be a bother so he just didn’t make an appointment. When his sons came to visit, he told them he was doing fine. "Yes, yes," he would say, "my blood pressure is just fine." Joseph felt that when they came to visit it would spoil their vacation if he asked them to take him to the doctor. For seven years, he kept up this giant fib.

One day in 1999, a neighbor on his way to the bait shop saw Joseph under a large shrub and presumed Joseph was working in his yard. However, the neighbor saw him in the same position twenty minutes later on his return. He stopped to see what Joseph was doing and ended up calling the paramedics. Joseph had suffered a stroke.

After the hospital stay, Joseph spent several weeks in a nursing home that offered rehab treatment. When he came home, the hospital 'home health' nurse visited with him. She called our offices and told us Joseph’s story. She had set up lab work and a doctor’s appointment and she needed help from our agency to see that Joseph kept the appointments. There were also appointments to get his hearing aid fixed and for his vision check up. We talked with the nurse about how this happened all too often in our area.

As sad as his story is, Joseph is one of the lucky ones. Not everyone who neglects their health for seven years makes it to the ER in time. But Joseph’s stroke didn’t have to happen at all. Regular check ups and proper medication would have prevented it. Had Joseph known about Kindness, Inc., he would have been able to see his doctor regularly.

Send an e-mail to Margaret Pflug, Director at Kindness, Inc. or call her at (870) 425-6475. We will truly appreciate any assistance you can give us to continue the work of this vital program in the Twin Lakes communities. Thank you.