Boys & Girls Club Receives Grant Funding to Expand Mental Health Programs

Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Tennessee has recently received grant funding from the Maury Regional Health Care Foundation in support of its health and wellness programs for youth across the county. This funding is provided through the Eslick Daniel Youth Health Initiative Fund. This year’s grant also included funding from the Foundation’s Behavioral Health Fund to expand the Club’s mental health programs.

Boys & Girls Club now has 4 staff members certified as Mental Health First Aid trainers, enabling them to certify the rest of the organization’s frontline staff. As part of this training, they will be educated on different types of mental illnesses, signs and symptoms, crisis management response plans, referring someone to seek professional help, and more. Club staff members are helping youth build the skills needed to identify their emotions, process them, and find healthy coping methods instead of turning to drugs, alcohol, violence, or even suicide.

In addition to expanding its mental health supports for the youth it serves, the Club is also looking to partner with local counselors in order to secure affordable counseling services for youth in need. Club staff have already built a partnership with Ronda Brown, LPC-MHSP of Uplifted Haven Counseling Services.

Mental health professionals interested in ways they can partner with the Club to provide support to the youth we serve should contact Area Director Christian Wyatt at (931) 490-9401 ext.2625.