May 2015 April Franklin graduated with a dual degree M.S. Gerontology/MBA.
Franklin “has a strong passion for addressing the needs of older adults and their family caregivers. As a student in the Dual Degree program, she worked on a project through her internship with AARP to develop a Community Group focusing on family caregiver issues, within Mount Zion Baptist Church, Inc. Upon graduation, this project continued to grow and April utilized her knowledge of the aging and senior market to work as a consultant with Mount Zion Baptist church to assist in establishing and developing the community group into a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization named “Caregiver Connect”. April was instrumental in identifying and developing programming for the three core areas in which this organization serves family caregivers:
1. Training- Providing family caregivers with access to training and workshop opportunities to better equip them with their caregiver duties.
2. Resources- Connecting caregivers to agencies and community resources that may be beneficial to them or their loved one.
3.Support- Holding regularly scheduled support group meetings to help caregivers to connect with other caregivers and share their thoughts and concerns in a safe environment.
April believes that addressing the issues impacting our older adults and their caregivers is necessary for maintaining healthy communities in the future and will continue to serve as an advocate in this field by working to create solutions to address these issues.”