Palmview at Gulf Coast Village, Cape Coral’s only life plan community and a nonprofit partner of Volunteers of America, was named the winner of the VOA Futures Fund Annual Pitch Competition at the 2024 National Conference on May 7. VOA hosts the competition at its annual conference, where three affiliates within the VOA network pitch innovative concepts to a panel of judges to receive funding to bring their concepts to life.

Since 2017, VOA has hosted the Futures Fund Annual Pitch Competition to celebrate innovators and innovation within the organization. Over the past seven years, 13 VOA affiliates have been awarded over $120,000 in grants. Past winning concepts include health vending machines, mobile access to primary care for adolescents in treatment and music therapy for seniors.

As the winner, Palmview at Gulf Coast Village will receive a $15,000 grant to develop its new concept, “Practical Magic Kitchen,” which will use innovative cooking techniques, including molecular gastronomy, to create engaging and creative cuisine for its residents with dietary restrictions. As a result, all residents can enjoy the products of their weekly cooking classes.

Gulf Coast Village submitted a three-minute pitch video and a written application detailing its “Practical Magic Kitchen” concept to VOA and was declared the winner at the 2024 National Conference in Maryland.

Each week, Palmview, Gulf Coast Village’s assisted living and memory support community, hosts weekly cooking classes for its residents, where residents collaborate with the community’s activity team to cook and bake. Residents with dietary restrictions, such as those who require a mechanical soft texture diet or puree diet, are often not able to enjoy the weekly creations. For example, carrot cake with nuts and chocolate covered strawberries are both prohibited on specialty diets. So, the Palmview team began looking for alternatives, and the Practical Magic Kitchen was born.

With the $15,000 grant, Gulf Coast Village will upgrade one of Palmview’s resident kitchen and dining areas into the Practical Magic Kitchen, purchase specialty cooking and baking equipment, and host on-site events for residents featuring local chefs.

Through its partnership with VOA, Gulf Coast Village is committed to serving and bettering the lives of Cape Coral seniors. To learn more about Palmview at Gulf Coast Village, call 239-510-8712 or visit GulfCoastVillage.org.