April 19, 2021

National Fund Seeded by a Melinda Gates Company Provides Grant to Maryhurst

The Upswing Fund, seeded by Melinda Gates’s Pivotal Ventures, has awarded $61,000 to Maryhurst services focused on mental health and well-being of adolescents of color and/or those who are LGBTQ+.

Louisville, KY – April 6, 2021 - Maryhurst—Kentucky's longest-running provider of care to children and families impacted by abuse and trauma—today announced that it has received a $61,000 grant from The Upswing Fund for Adolescent Mental Health, a collaborative fund powered by Panorama. The grant will be applied to the agency’s Renewal program, which provides counseling and wellbeing resources that empower children and families facing conflict or crisis.

Grant funds will support two important Maryhurst Renewal priorities related to its work with adolescents of color and/or those who are LGBTQ+:

  • Doubling the number of youth who receive behavior analysis support services via a new Intervention Specialist position; the Intervention Specialist will work with young people in classrooms and other everyday settings to set goals for success and provide in-the-moment behavioral health support
  • Providing racial stress and trauma training to 40+ staff members involved in counseling, community support, and other treatments; these trainings will be led locally by Dr. Steven Kniffley, an Assistant Professor in Spalding University’s School of Professional Psychology

The Upswing Fund launched in late 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a mission to provide critical resources to front-line organizations that provide the services that young people rely on. The fund selected Maryhurst Renewal, which operates offices in Louisville’s Portland and Shively neighborhoods, from a pool of nearly 500 applicants from across the United States.

“We are excited to have the support of a national fund as we expand the competencies of our teams to more effectively partner with youth and families of all backgrounds.” said Paula Garner, Maryhurst President and CEO. “With the support of the Upswing Fund’s contribution, Maryhurst Renewal will be able to assure high quality care while paving the way for more professional opportunities for staff at our organization.”

Locally, Maryhurst Renewal work is supported by the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence, Brown-Forman, James Graham Brown Foundation, the UPS Foundation and First Financial Foundation.

 

About Maryhurst

Founded in 1843, Maryhurst is the oldest child welfare nonprofit in Kentucky serving kids and families who are hurting. Driven by a belief in children's inherent worth and the strength of family relationships, Maryhurst offers healing through a specialized continuum of care that prevents abuse, restores hope, and empowers survivors of trauma. Programs include individual and family counseling; psychiatric and campus-based residential treatment for girls; and community-based transitional living services and aftercare. Maryhurst is the first agency in the state to fully adopt the trauma-informed care philosophy, and it remains the only residential nonprofit serving adolescent girls diagnosed as severely traumatized by abuse. Maryhurst's programs transform the lives of more than 700 children and their families each year. For more information, please visit http://www.maryhurst.org or call 502.245.1576.

 

#####

More News Stories

Believing in the affirming power of art, Maryhurst Academy has completed a portrait painting project with students that’s exhibiting this month at...

Whether it was a school assembly full of moving performances, an educational contest testing our knowledge of local Black history, or an awesome...

This fall, Maryhurst entered a partnership to bring the Boys and Girls Haven’s Equine Vocational Training Program to the youth participating in...

A steadfast group of young people from Maryhurst’s residential program spent the day in Frankfort advocating for the needs of foster children...