A Celebration of Caregiving

Caregiver Book Celebrated at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving

IndependenceFirst was fortunate to have Dr. Richard Birkel, Executive Director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCIC) offer his opinion about the "A Celebration of Caregiving: Portraits & Stories" when he previewed it. He said "This wonderful book is a testimony to love and serves as a powerful reminder of why it 'makes the world go round.' Each of the forty-one vignettes provides a privileged glimpse into the bonds that develop between caregivers and receivers, and reminds us all that our job is to create conditions that allow these vital human connections to flourish."

As a result of Dr. Birkel's exposure to our book project, IndependenceFirst received an invitation to attend the 1st National Summit on Caregiving that was put on by RCIC in Americus, Georgia. As a contributor to the project, IndependenceFirst's PR & Marketing Manager, Carol Voss represented the organization at the Summit. The book received loads of praise and orders from researchers, state department representatives in departments on aging and disability, as well as caregivers themselves from all over the country. Finally, Dr. Birkel provided a formal introduction to Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter who graciously accepted a book and looked forward to reviewing it, as caregiving has been a large part of her personal life as well as a passion of hers to affect policy nationwide to promote community-based caregiving.