EvergreenHealth Awards $75,000 In Grants to Eastside Nonprofits for 2023
Three nonprofits are using the $25,000 grants to help create much-needed mental health services for local youth.
Kirkland, Wash. – EvergreenHealth, a community-owned hospital serving the Puget Sound region, awarded a total $75,000 in one-year grants to three nonprofit organizations based in the Eastside and greater Seattle area.
The $25,000 grants are a part of the 2023 EvergreenHealth Community Funded Grant Program, an effort to partner with local organizations who share our mission and values to bring about real and lasting improvements throughout our communities.
The three awardees include Catholic Community Services (CCS), Empower Youth Network (EYN) and the Eastside affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI Eastside).
Catholic Community Services is using the awarded funds to support the Youth Services program within its New Bethlehem Programs, an emergency services hub for families experiencing homelessness in East King County. With the grant funding, Catholic Community Services' New Bethlehem Project will continue to support educational resources for children experiencing homelessness, including a full-time Youth Services Coordinator, tutoring and mentorship support and other services to help children succeed at school.
Empower Youth Network is using the awarded funds to address mental health disparities in Snoqualmie Valley youth. The 2021 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey indicated that children in Snoqualmie had a higher rate of "feeling sad or hopeless for two weeks or more" compared to the rest of the state. EYN looks to address this issue through a number of programs including the "How to Help a Friend" suicide prevention training, which teaches high school teens to become peer trainers for middle school students. Additionally, EYN will use grant funds to support its Youth Mental Health First Aid training, which teaches adults who regularly interact with children for work how to address mental health challenges with young individuals.
"This support from EvergreenHealth is essential is providing safe, healthy, engaging opportunities for youth in the Snoqualmie Valley," said Laura Smith, Executive Director of Empower Youth Network. "The How to Help a Friend peer-to-peer suicide prevention workshop is beneficial in helping youth understand when a friend is struggling, how to offer helpful support and when to get help from a trusted adult."
NAMI Eastside is using the awarded funds to support and expand various programs that empower teens across eastern King County to understand and protect their own mental health as well as recognize when one of their peers is going through a crisis. For instance, the grant funds will give NAMI Eastside the ability to expand its Youth Ambassador Program from 45 students to more than 200 in 2023. Middle and high school students enroll in the program to receive resources and become mental health advocates in their schools. NAMI Eastside will also be able to offer the Cope2Thrive Program to school faculty in addition to students 11-18 years old. This program is based on cognitive behavioral therapy and helps youth and adults address their mental health in a healthy, positive way. As part of these efforts, NAMI Eastside will be hosting the Youth Mental Health Conference on April 28, which focus on youth voices and projects for an audience of both children and adults.
EvergreenHealth's Community Funded Grant Program is an annual opportunity for community organizations to apply for additional resources so that they can continue to provide important services as well as expand to address the evolving Puget Sound region. The program will return in 2023 for nonprofits seeking funding in 2024. To be eligible, applicant organizations must have valid 501(c)(3) non-profit tax status or be a school or government entity. They must also fall within EvergreenHealth's district service area or provide direct services within the service area (cities include Kirkland, Woodinville, Duvall, Sammamish, Redmond, Bothell, or Kenmore). Awards are determined annually, and awardees must re-apply for future funding.
