CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — On March 18, the Community Counseling Center and the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation were awarded nearly $48,000 in grants aimed at addressing and improving youth mental health in the region.
The grants were made possible through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, in collaboration with the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation and Commerce Trust. The funding is part of a larger initiative to enhance mental health services for youth, particularly in rural communities.
Grant Breakdown
Community Counseling Center: A grant of $25,000 will go toward establishing Hope Squads in the Perry County and Jackson School Districts. The Hope Squads program is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention initiative aimed at equipping students to identify and support their peers who may be at risk for suicide.
Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation: A $22,975 grant will fund Family Mental Health Awareness events, Hope Squad training, and additional counseling services during both the school year and summer. This funding will help to further support the mental health needs of students in the district.
Addressing Mental Health in Rural Communities
Jill Reynolds, Senior Vice President at Commerce Trust, emphasized the significance of these grants in addressing the increased suicide rates among youth in rural communities. “Knowing that the increased suicide rate for youth in rural communities is often due to lack of access to resources, these grants are vitally important,” said Reynolds. She also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to support these initiatives, which she believes will help ensure brighter futures for local youth.
The grants are part of the Coover Regional Youth Mental Health Grant Program, which awarded a total of $250,000 to support various youth mental health initiatives across central and southern Missouri. This program is focused on providing mental health resources for youth aged birth to 21, particularly in rural areas.
A Step Toward Change
With these grants, local organizations are working to combat the mental health crisis affecting youth in their communities by creating accessible resources and programs that offer peer support, awareness, and professional counseling services.
