Success Stories

When she was only 19 years old, Nancy Mummert lost her child, her ability to walk, and the ability to have children. Giving up, however, was not an option for her. The list of repercussions from the car wreck that changed everything was long and also included overall muscle weakness, poor balance and poor range…

Cooking for one isn’t easy, especially when you’ve spent a lifetime sitting around a big family table passing heaping bowls of green beans, carrots and corn you’ve grown in the garden. Bessie Bell has good memories of those days, growing up the baby of ten siblings. She remembers her dad’s big garden, her mom canning…

Scott and Mandy Long describe August and September as “their season.” It’s an emotional time of year for them—their son Crew was born in August 2014, and passed away in September 2017. This year, like last year, they had a birthday party and a cake to celebrate his life. Crew was Scott and Mandy’s third…

Carleen Carter, 70, has lived in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Indianapolis for 60 years, and she considers her involvement in the community to be one of her biggest joys. Now it’s the community’s turn to help her out. On Sept. 28, 25 volunteers will be doing home modification projects at her house as a…

CICOA had a challenge on its hands. It’s the kind of challenge every nonprofit would love to have: too many volunteers. In 2018, Dan Amonett, certified aging in place specialist, was coordinating the work of more than 150 volunteers to improve safety at 20 homes in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood during CICOA’s ninth annual Safe at…

When she started as a care manager at CICOA, Mr. B was the first client on Lara’s caseload. He had yet to start any services, and Lara was fresh out of grad school, eager but naïve about the difficulties awaiting both of them. Mr. B and his wife, Jennifer, were desperate to begin respite home health…

Last year, when 71-year old Eunice’s air conditioner broke, she had to endure the rest of the hot summer with only a fan. She was thankful for the fan, stating that “every little bit helped,” but she is even more thankful that CICOA is able to provide her with a new air conditioner this year.…

When 93-year-old Cordie needs to go to an appointment or to the grocery, she makes a call to CICOA. The nonprofit’s Way2Go transportation service picks her up at her house and takes her to wherever she needs to go. More than that, drivers help her board the van and load her walker. “I just thank God for CICOA,…

Want to know the secret to aging? Be good. That’s how Bernice Bohannon has tried to live her life. It’s what makes her happy. The mantra has served her well. She’ll celebrate her 109th birthday on March 14. She’s planning to make brownies for relatives who’ll be coming from out of town to help her celebrate.…