Specifically, the funding is for high-impact programs poised to deliver “systemic change in youth and adolescent behavioral health” across the region, states a foundation news release. The funding represents SCF’s commitment to translating its vision — a community with no unmet health and social needs — into measurable, regional impact, the release states.
Area organizations like SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, The Amy Center, Mount Vernon City Schools District 80, and Centralia City Schools District 135 were among the entities to receive funding this time around.
“The response from our community of healthcare providers, educators, and community organizations was inspiring,” said Clare Kessler, Executive Director of the St. Clare Foundation which is based in Centralia. “These initial investments are not just checks, they are the fuel for innovative, coordinated action. We are now moving beyond identifying the crisis to actively building the integrated system of resources and care that our youth deserve.”
Grant recipients responded positively to this week’s SCF announcement.
“We are excited and very thankful for our new partnership with the St. Clare Foundation,” said District 80 Schools Superintendent Ryan Swan. “This partnership will provide funds to help support students, staff, and families with social, emotional, and mental health needs in District 80.”
Amy Center Executive Director Michaela Wharton said that her facility is “truly honored and incredibly thankful” for SCF’s “exceptional generosity and its heart and mission for community solutions that provide strong, lasting impact for local children.”
“Since The Amy Center’s founding in 1990, it’s been our consistent purpose and goal to provide compassionate, trauma-informed care to abused and neglected children throughout our South Central and Southern Illinois coverage area,” Wharton said. “This gift from the St. Clare Foundation allows us to expand our in-house direct services in an amazing way that has never been possible in 36 years. With this substantial gift spanning a three-year period, we’re able to secure a highly credentialed, trauma-specialized child and family therapist to focus on and serve our clientele. I can’t overstate how valuable this service will be in addressing community health and well-being, as well as the problematic youth behavioral crisis our center works diligently to understand and combat on a daily basis.”
Wharton went on to praise the Felician Sisters who – through their love, compassion, and generosity – are filling gaps in remarkable ways.
“We are beyond grateful for them, the devoted SCF Board of Directors, and the sincerity, intentionality, and leadership of SCF Executive Director Clare Kessler,” Wharton said. “Because of the St. Clare Foundation, The Amy Schulz Child Advocacy Center is making unprecedented strides in serving our community’s most vulnerable. We cannot thank them enough.”
The St. Clare Foundation offered three different types of grants for its inaugural application process, including Anchor Investments, Innovation/Seed Grants, and Capacity-Building Mini-Grants.
The grants have been awarded to organizations based on the clear articulation of a demonstrated need in the community, the ability to impact the defined need with the proposed project, and an alignment with the St. Clare Foundation’s mission to improve access to resources and holistically respond to unmet youth and adolescent behavioral health needs.
The funded programs in this cycle include:
An Anchor Investment to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia to support the recruitment of an outpatient adolescent psychiatrist and ambulatory clinic expansion over the next three years, aiming to focus on early identification and intervention of youth behavioral health needs.
An Anchor Investment to The Amy Schulz Child Advocacy Center to fund the hiring of a specialized mental health provider for the next three years to support the healing process for children who are victims of sexual abuse, severe physical abuse, or have witnessed violent trauma.
An Anchor Investment to Selmaville School to fund “Conscious Discipline” training for school leadership to utilize as a classroom management model that supports positive behavior and learning through connection and skill-building with students.
An Anchor Investment to Centralia City Schools District 135 to fund two mental health support staff for the next three school years at Schiller School and Jordan School, focusing on early identification of behavioral health needs in elementary students.
An Innovation/Seed Grant to Mount Vernon City Schools District 80 to fund social emotional learning curriculum and professional development costs, as well as funding for staff to dedicate after-school hours to parent/guardian support centered around student social and emotional needs.
An Innovation/Seed Grant to Odin Public Schools to support mental health professionals on staff, as well as social emotional learning professional development and software/curriculum costs to expand mental health adaptiveness of students and staff.
An Innovation/Seed Grant to the Illinois Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness to support the creation of a pilot program for social emotional classroom-based learning, which will be piloted in several local elementary schools’ classrooms.
A Capacity-Building Mini-Grant to the Centralia Community Youth Center to support the center’s after-school tutoring program, summer camp, and club activities with a focus on student development related to academics, school attendance, and social and emotional growth.
A Capacity-Building Mini-Grant to Mater Dei Catholic High School to support training and education on suicide prevention for faculty and staff.
“It is truly our privilege to continue to be a part of the Centralia community and to support the needs of surrounding Southern Illinois communities,” said SM Clarette Stryzewski, Board Chair of the St. Clare Foundation. “We are grateful for the spirit of deep respect and collaboration that exists between this community and the Felician Sisters, and we look forward to continuing this meaningful partnership.”
This first funding cycle immediately positions the St. Clare Foundation as the region’s essential Convener and Catalyst for addressing behavioral health needs for youth and adolescents by validating the model of collaborative, data-driven investment, the news release states.
The foundation asks the public to sign up for email updates, follow the organization on social media, and to donate to SCF to help them continue to provide funding to local organizations.
About St. Clare Foundation
The St. Clare Foundation is the Trusted Convener and Catalyst for improving youth and adolescent behavioral health in Southern Illinois (Marion, Jefferson, and surrounding counties). Continuing in the footsteps of the Felician Sisters, SCF collaborates with healthcare professionals, educators, and community partners, providing essential funding and a unified platform to address the youth mental health crisis. Its work focuses on enabling early identification, effective intervention, and seamless integration of services to drive lasting, systemic change in the region enabling its vision of a community with no unmet health and social needs, the news release states.
For more information, visit www.saintclarefoundation.org, or follow the organization on LinkedIn or Facebook.