Contributed by
Kindred Healthcare
The Kindred Institute of Inclusion and Equity, an initiative of Kindred Healthcare, LLC, last week awarded a grant of $1,000 to Valley Haven School, a not-for-profit located in eastern Alabama that provides education, training, special instruction and other services to individuals who are intellectually disabled and/or developmentally delayed.
“We are thrilled to offer our support to Valley Haven School, which provides a safety net of sorts for the developmentally and intellectually challenged in the community who need specialized training and services,” said Deidra Byrd, senior vice president, chief employment counsel at Kindred and member of Kindred’s Inclusion and Equity Council, which oversees the Institute. “The school has provided these services for decades and we wish them continued success in helping everyone in their community reach their highest potential.”
Craig Brown, director of Valley Haven School, said, “It is because of support received by great people and organizations like the Kindred Institute of Inclusion and Equity that Valley Haven has been able to operate for more than 60 years.”
Valley Haven School is one of several not-for-profits across the country receiving grants in the first round of funding from the Kindred Institute of Inclusion and Equity, a fund established in 2020 to allow Kindred to invest in a broad array of not-for-profit organizations leading grassroots, community efforts that can affect real change. These efforts include causes related to healthcare disparities, gaps in the education system and social services within the cities where Kindred team members live and work.
The Kindred Institute encourages Kindred employees – working at hundreds of locations across 36 states – to identify or nominate organizations in their communities doing the kind of work that helps those in need in underserved areas. The Institute is part of Kindred’s broader inclusion and equity initiatives designed to promote a more diverse and inclusive workforce. These initiatives include mandatory unconscious bias training, the creation of employee resource groups, changes in hiring practices and the launch of the Scholarship of Hope offering tuition scholarships to employees who are black, indigenous or people of color. You can learn more about the Kindred Institute of Inclusion and Equity at www.kindredgives.com. Visit www.valleyhavenschool.org to discover more about Valley Haven School’s work on behalf of individuals with intellectual or developmental challenges.
About Kindred Healthcare:
Kindred Healthcare, LLC, is the nation’s leading specialty hospital company delivering acute health services in its long-term acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, acute rehabilitation units and behavioral health line of business, all specializing in treating the most medically-complex patients. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, and ranked as one of Fortune magazine’s Most Admired Healthcare Companies for nine years, Kindred’s mission is to help our patients reach their highest potential for health and healing with intensive medical and rehabilitative care through a compassionate patient experience. For more information, go to www.kindredhealthcare.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Valley Haven School:
Valley Haven School, located in Valley, Alabama, provides education, training, special instruction and other services for individuals – preschool and adult – who are intellectually disabled and/or developmentally delayed and who are not receiving these training services from any other local resources. Our early intervention and adult programs primarily serves individuals who reside in the Chambers County and Lee County areas of eastern Alabama.