Westways - James L. West Alzheimer Center

Westways | Spring 2012
6 7
Thanks to
the Scott
Foundation,
there’s no
place like
home
William Edrington Scott, known to
friends as Billy, was a Fort Worth
native who never married; his true
loves and passions were the visual and
performing arts. Scott’s successes
and those of his family, in banking, real
estate and insurance, enabled him to
start the William E. Scott Foundation in
1960, three years before his death.
The foundation was chartered to support non-profits
with a focus on the arts in Fort Worth or Tarrant
County. The Scott Theater in the Cultural District was
built by the foundation. Much of the Scott estate’s
artwork belongs to The Modern Art Museum. The list
of contributions is long.
A late-1980s gas find on some of his ranching
properties in south Texas and the market boom of the
’90s enabled the foundation to maintain its directed
giving to the arts and expand support into healthcare,
education and social nonprofit services.
Today, Raymond (Rob) Kelly, an attorney/shareholder
with the Decker Jones law firm, is President of the
foundation. He joined the board in 1979 as trustee/
director. The Scott Foundation has made two gifts
totaling $400,000 to the James L. West Center, the
first for the construction of the West Center, which
was completed in 1993, and the second for planned
reconstruction.
“The West Center was something really needed in Fort
Worth. The foundation got involved because there was
nothing like it at the time,” Kelly said. “Personally,
It’s not just going to be painting
and new furniture. It’s a change in
living atmosphere that will be more
environmentally pleasurable for
the patient and the visiting family.
I was interested because my mother suffered with
dementia for years before passing away.
“We are particularly interested in the planned
reconstruction. The focus on best care of Alzheimer’s
and dementia has changed and you must offer care
and care facilities that are different now than 20
years ago.
“When I toured the Center a couple of months ago,
I was particularly interested in the planned upgrade
and the changes in the living formats. It’s not just
going to be painting and new furniture. It’s a change
in living atmosphere that will be more environmentally
pleasurable for the patient and the visiting family. I
was particularly struck that you can avoid the feeling
of being in institutional care and closer to what a
home environment might be.”
Because of the Scott Foundation’s size and
philosophy, it tends to support capital projects
more than operating programs. Kelly said that if an
operating request is received, the foundation tends to
look at one-time grants.
“It’s really not that easy to give money,” Kelly said.
“There are far more worthwhile requests than you
could possibly fund. We helped The West Center
originally, so it was natural to help again.”
“Mr. Kelly understands that the West Center has
an individualized care system designed around the
resident’s initial evaluation and life experiences and
not based on what is economically practical for the
nursing facility,” said Duncan Manning, vice president
of development for the West Center. “He understands
what it is like to be a caregiver and the importance
of having facilities such as the West Center for
those individuals that do not have a family caregiver
support system or for individuals for whom the
disease has become too challenging for them to be
able to remain in their homes.”
The Board, staff and families of the James L. West Center
would like to thank Kendra Belfi, M.D., for 18 years of
cheerful and dedicated service to the Center’s residents,
and for her tireless dedication to our nation’s elders
throughout her career. Happy retirement, Dr. Belfi!
James L. West Alzheimer Center