The Junior League of Greenwich (JLG) announced the recipients of its 2018 Community Grant Award. This year the $2,500 award has been presented to Kids in Crisis (KIC) in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich (BGCG). The award was presented March 29.
Each year, the League awards up to $2,500 to a community organization based in Greenwich to provide financial support for a community need that is not being met by current Junior League projects or programs. The grant is intended to fund new initiatives or expand programs relating to community needs, not subsidize existing programs.
Hillary Watson, Community Director for the Junior League of Greenwich, presented the check to Shari Shapiro with Kids in Crisis and Bobby Walker with the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich. The Award will allow Kids in Crisis to expand its existing program providing “Youth Mental Health First Aid Training” to staff at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich. This collaboration will allow KIC to assist the BGCG in supporting the growing need for mental health services for the ages of six to 18 that attend the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich.
The average number of daily attendees at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich is 370, and more than half are middle and high schoolers. Many of these students are experiencing mental health issues including feeling sad, helpless, anxious, or depressed. The “Youth Mental Health First Aid Training” Program is a nationally recognized, evidence-based program designed for adults who regularly interact with young people to teach a five-step action plan to help with mental health issues in both crisis and non-crisis situations. The Kids in Crisis Managing Director of Clinical Programs and its Clinical Director will provide the training to 24 full and part-time BCGC staff in four two-hour sessions over the coming year. KIC feels strongly that this will greatly increase the competency of the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich staff to meet the compelling needs of the kids they serve.
