More than 49,000 lives to be impacted!
This week, Skaggs Foundation is awarding 30 Skaggs Legacy Endowment grants totaling $1,019,127 to organizations working to improve health and wellness in Stone and Taney counties. These projects are estimated to impact more than 49,000 lives over the next year.
“The global pandemic has left us all trying to find a new normal and these organizations are adapting quickly to meet the rapidly changing needs of our community,” says Nita Jane Ayres, chairman of Skaggs Legacy Endowment Grant Committee. “They are growing to meet increasing demands, thinking outside the box and doing what needs to be done to help Stone and Taney county residents live healthier lives.”
Among the 30 grants being award, Hollister School District is receiving a three-year, $40,000 grant to create an online, searchable database of local resources. The project, known as Resources to the Rescue, is the idea of Hollister Middle School Counselor Sandy Brown.
“This program has two parts,” Brown explains. “The first part will allow us to educate parents about all the resources available to them that may help prevent them from getting into a crisis mode situation. The second part will help us to show parents how to find and access resources on their own when they are in a crisis situation so that they do not feel that things are hopeless and give up. It is our hope that Resources to the Rescue will provide needed resources and skills for our families that will help them to avoid crisis situations.”
While the database is a new idea, other organizations are growing to meet increasing needs.
Burrell Behavioral Health is being awarded a one-year $240,000 grant to provide school-based mental health services to students who otherwise would not have the financial means to receive the services. The award amount is double what Burrell requested two years ago when the project kicked off.
“The Skaggs Foundation grant is helping individuals in Stone and Taney County access mental health services that they wouldn’t receive otherwise,” says Cristin Martinez, assistant director of school-based services for Burrell. “Through this grant, we have seen individuals who don’t qualify for Medicaid, don’t have insurance or are have high co-pays and have significant mental illness or suicidality recover from these symptoms, improve functioning, increase school attendance, improve grades, and decrease office referrals. We have seen individuals obtain the coping skills necessary to not just survive day to day but to thrive.”
“We are so proud of the work these organizations are doing,” Ayres said. “They truly are the ‘boots on the ground’ in our community making a lasting difference for generations to come.”
About the Grants:
Grant awards by category: Mental Health: Burrell, Inc. – Stone and Taney County School Based Services; Cox Medical Center Branson – Healthier Mothers Healthier Babies; Branson R-IV School District –Mental Health and Wellness; Access to Care:Faith Community Health – FaithCare Community Partnership to Provide Heathcare Services for Uninsured Employees; Cox Medical Center Branson – Recruiting Nurses to Branson through Scholarships; Cox Medical Center Branson – Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Patient Scholarship; Cox Medical Center Branson – Good Samaritan Fund for Patients at Cox Medical Center Branson; Hollister School District – Resources to the Rescue; City of Hollister Missouri Police Department – Operation AED; Cox Medical Center Branson – CMCB Patient Transportation Assistance; Cox Medical Center Branson – Virtual Patient Education; Cox Medical Center Branson – Lodging Assistance for CMCB Patients with Cancer; Substance Use: Cox Medical Center Branson – Substance Use Initiative & Tobacco Cessation Program; Stone County Judiciary – Stone and Taney County Dental and Housing Assistance Program; Simmering Center, Inc. – Healthy Recovery Initiative; Ozarks Teen Challenge – Ozarks Boys Academy; Emerging Needs: Cox Medical Center Branson – Staff Assist Safety System; Dental Care: Fordland Clinic, Inc. – School Based Dental for Stone County; Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation – Dental Care for Stone and Taney County Residents; Children’s Smile Center – Gloves for Dental Health Professionals; Healthy Lifestyles: Branson Hollister Senior Center – Sunny Side Part 3; White River Community Development – Rockaway Beach Sports Scholarships; Branson Parks and Recreation Department – Youth Scholarship Program; White River Community Development – BridgeFit Fitness Center Scholarships for Students; Reeds Spring School District – New Way to Be Active; Kimberling Area Senior Center – Healthy Lifestyle Exercise Room; Child and Family Safety: Boys and Girls Club of the Ozarks – BBC Ozarks Summer Enrichment Program; Branson R-IV School District – Branson High School Cents of Pride; Gift of Hope, Inc. – Cents of Pride Store; Tri-Lakes Special Education Cooperative – Helping, Healing, Hope: Using Education to Support Families toward Stronger Tomorrows.
