Janet Sevier Gilbreath Awards

About the award

Each year, the Health Fund's Board of Trustees selects one outstanding project from among all current funded projects to receive the Janet Sevier Gilbreath Special Project Recognition Award, named in honor of our first Board Chairperson.

Janet Sevier Gilbreath

The annual Janet Sevier Gilbreath award was established in 1988 to recognize, among all grant recipients for the year, the project which has done the most to advance the Health Fund's vision of the Christian health community and which has best exemplified:

1. The attainment of goals and objectives established for the project
2. The utilization of volunteers in the project
3. The development of community, church, and other support for the project
4. The institution of good management and financial practices to assure quality service delivery

As the work of the Health Fund continues to adapt to new challenges and opportunities, in 2010 the Board of Trustees updated the criteria used to select the award recipient to better reflect the Fund's focused, strategic approach. The new criteria for selection include:

1. Scale - the project reached a reasonable number of participants based upon the need it is designed to address (local, regional, or state).
2. Achievement of goals and objectives - the project had measurable goals and objectives and made substantial progress in meeting the planned targets.
3. Leveraging - the project demonstrated value beyond that achieved solely with the resources provided by the Health Fund.
4. Operational excellence - the project was conducted with best practices of management and has a governance structure which adds value to the work.
5. Benefits to the "least of these" - the project targeted its work at the improvement of lives for populations which are underserved and often overlooked by free markets.
6. Social justice and diversity - the project was motivated by a sense of social justice which empowers and enables. The project reflects a reasonable diversity in its board, staff, and participants.

Award recipients

2010 - Kansas Head Start Association, Lawrence
Parent Health Literacy Project

2009 - Rawlins County Dental Clinic, Atwood
Establishment of a dental clinic in a rural, underserved region of Kansas

2008 - E.C. Tyree Health & Dental Clinic, Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Wichita
Expansion of a health ministry at the E.C. Tyree Health Center by providing dental care

2007 - GraceMed Health Clinic, Wichita
Rising above financial challenges to become one of the larger community health centers in Kansas, providing medical and dental care in multiple Wichita locations

2006 - Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Dental Clinic, Pittsburg
Establishing one of the largest oral health safety-net clinics in Kansas

2005 - United Methodist Western Kansas Mexican-American Ministries, Garden City
Lifetime Smiles - comprehensive oral health program

2004 - Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation, Topeka
Kansas Mission of Mercy - free dental clinic serving nearly 2,000 Kansans in need each year

2003 - Higher Ground / Tiyospaye, Wichita
Learning the Ropes - adventure-based prevention, early intervention, and substance abuse treatment for youth

2002 - City of Leavenworth / Waterworks Board
Community water fluoridation

2001 - Family Consultation Service, Wichita
Expect Respect - supporting healthy teen relationships

2000 - United Methodist Homes, Topeka
Forever Friends Intergenerational Center - bringing children in day care and seniors together

1999 - American G.I. Forum of Kansas, Ulysses
Teens with Tots - providing training and support for teen parents and their children

1998 - Palco United Methodist Church
PUMKids Patch Day Care - providing rural access to vital family support services

1997 - The Family Life Center of Butler County
Multi-county sexual assault and domestic violence shelter and KIDSAFE intervention and counseling program

1996 - Association of Kansas Hospices
Development of regional, Medicare-certified hospice system covering Kansas

1995 - United Methodist Urban Ministry, Wichita
Low-income medical and dental clinic expansion

1994 - Health Ministries of Harvey County, Inc., Newton
Development of a low-income medical and dental clinic

1993 - Clay County Child Care Center
Head Start program serving Clay, Cloud, Republic, and Washington counties

1992 - Kansas Action for Children, Inc., Topeka
An Ounce of Prevention - advocacy campaign to increase childhood immunization rates

1991 - Osborne County Hospice, Inc.
Medicare-certified end of life care

1990 - Hospice, Inc., Wichita
ConnectCare - addressing needs of those affected by HIV

1989 - Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas, Wichita
COMPEER Program - friendship and support for those with mental illness

1988 - United Methodist Western Kansas Mexican-American Ministries, Garden City
Low-income medical clinic - providing access to primary care