Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) announces that 46 grants totaling $1,678,820 have been awarded in cycle 2 of 2022. HFL accepted grant applications from May 27- July 15, 2022, for cycle 2 and received requests for a diverse array of projects that aligned with one of HFL’s strategic priorities of Healthy Children, Healthy Living, or Healthy Minds, or met a community health and wellness need outside of these priorities and qualified for a Healthy La Porte grant.
2022 Grant Cycle 2 is an exciting example of the work grantees are doing to serve La Porte County residents. While all HFL grantees are worthy of recognition for their hard work and impactful projects, HFL highlights three cycle 2 grants in more detail below.
Healthy Children Grantee Highlight: Youth Service Bureau
Since 1972, Youth Service Bureau of La Porte County has been providing youth and families with valuable programming. Remarkably, the La Porte County Youth Service Bureau (YSB) is one of only four original YSB’s established in Indiana in the early 1970s to still be in existence. This year, the Youth Service Bureau of La Porte County is celebrating 50 years of serving the community. In addition to such a milestone, YSB received two Healthy Children grants during Grant Cycle 2, a $20,000 grant for School Buddies and a $6,000 grant for Kids on the Block.
HFL is pleased to support YSB’s Kids on the Block child abuse prevention program for the sixth consecutive year and its School Buddies school-based mentoring program for the fourth consecutive year. Youth who participate in the School Buddies mentoring program benefit from a positive adult role model. Executive Director Steve Bernth said, “With the addition of Healthcare Foundation of La Porte grant funds for our School Buddies mentoring program, the YSB was able to expand the number of area schools served as well as increase the number of children in the program. This current school year we hope to reach over 50 kids by matching them with a volunteer mentor. We would not have been able to do this without the grants from HFL.”
Kids on the Block is a program that educates second graders in La Porte County on physical and sexual abuse. Over the years, nearly 40,000 children have experienced the Kids on the Block presentation, which Bernth credits with directly resulting in multiple arrests and convictions for child abuse in La Porte County. “As director of the YSB, I can honestly say that we are truly grateful for all of the support that HFL has given the YSB,” Bernth stated.
To learn more about Youth Service Bureau and its programming, visit https://www.youthservicebureau.com/.
Healthy Living Grantee Highlight: City of La Porte Park and Recreation Department
The $75,250 Healthy Living grant to the City of La Porte Park and Recreation Department for the City of La Porte Activity Center for Older Adults (ACOA) will provide much needed funds for the ACOA and will support the City’s Park and Recreation Department in growing the ACOA membership, expanding programming to meet the community’s needs, and cementing its financial stability.
Superintendent Mark Schreiber said, “We, as a community and society, have an obligation to care for and create the best possible quality of life for our senior population. With funding to keep the ACOA and programming going through 2023, we can continue the process of forming a long-term plan. Our immediate goal is to create a short-term solution to providing quality programming and a vibrant activity center for those of an advanced age of our community. Since taking over operation of the center in April, we have seen an increase in programs and services, and the membership has more than doubled. With the financial and strategic planning assistance provided by HFL, we are on track to create the type of senior center our residents want and deserve."
To learn more about the ACOA, visit www.laporteparkandrec.com or call 219.326.5354.
Healthy Minds Grantee Highlight: Samaritan Counseling Centers
HFL awarded Samaritan Counseling Centers an $8,136 Healthy Minds grant for their Healing Together With Our Neighbors program. Healing Together With Our Neighbors is a new project that will enable Samaritan Counseling Centers to educate the community on mental health topics through seminars and materials.
Samaritan Counseling Centers has served Northwest Indiana since 1981, focusing primarily on individualized care. Previous grants from HFL number five and have supported access to counseling for those suffering from mental health challenges who may be underinsured or lack insurance, as Samaritan Counseling Centers’ mission is to help all people who ask for help. This dedication to providing what is needed drove the organization to create the Healing Together With Our Neighbors Program. Executive Director Stacey Cook stated, “Good mental health is the staple to our overall ability to move through life, engage in life, set goals in life, embrace life, and feel confident managing life through its ups and downs. With our current program and the support of HFL, Samaritan Counseling is now able to access group education on a broader but still intimate level.”
To learn more about Samaritan Counseling Centers, visit http://www.samaritancounselingmc.org/ or call 219.879.3283.
Healthcare Foundation of La Porte CEO Maria Fruth stated, “The diversity of grant projects HFL sees, as evidenced by cycle 2 of 2022, is exciting and indicative of progress HFL and our community partners are making toward our mission: to become one of Indiana’s top 10 healthiest communities by 2030. Cycle 2 saw grants of many sizes awarded, from $1,744 -- to the Westville Police Department’s Wellness Program Fitness Room -- to as large as $200,000 – to the City of La Porte’s Chessie Trail Phase 3 Program Management. We look forward to celebrating the grant projects we were able to fund.”
To view the full list of grants awarded during 2022 Grant Cycle 2, visit https://www.hflaporte.org/post/2022-grant-cycle-2-grants-awarded.
HFL’s 2023 Grant Cycle 1 will open in January 2023.
HFL’s mission is empowering La Porte County residents to live healthy and well. Since 2017, HFL has invested more than $36 million in the La Porte County community. To learn more about HFL and community impact, please visit the Foundation’s website at hflaporte.org.