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The Kindred Institute of Inclusion and Equity, an initiative of Kindred Healthcare, LLC, awarded a grant of $1,000 to Valley Haven School on Friday.

“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,” Senior Vice President, Chief Employment Counsel at Kindred and member of Kindred’s Inclusion and Equity Council, which oversees the Institute, Deidre Byrd said in a press release. “The school has provided these services for decades and we wish them continued success in helping everyone in their community reach their highest potential.”

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.

“We are grateful for the Kindred Institute’s support of Valley Haven School and appreciate the company’s commitment to help organizations across the country doing the kind of work that gives hope and opportunity to those who need it most,” Director of Valley Haven School Craig Brown said. “Grants like these enable us to provide the specialized training and instruction essential to a segment of our population that is often overlooked and underserved.”

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.

Amy Hayes, who nominated this organization, is the clinical coordinator for Kindred’s acute rehab program in Valley and is originally from the area. 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.

Kindred Healthcare Rehabilitation Services operate within East Alabama Medical Center’s Acute Rehab Unit, located in the Lanier Hospital campus.

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.