Evergreen Foundation announces grant funding allotments

The Evergreen Foundation board of directors voted at their June meeting to provide $489,537 in first quarter funding to eleven agencies providing programs and services for individuals with behavioral health, substance use and intellectual/ developmental disabilities:

? The Arc of Haywood County (Haywood), $17,500 to purchase a new van for their residential program serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

? Appalachian Access (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Haywood, Macon, Swain), $20,000 to provide transportation for voluntarily committed consumers from throughout WNC who need to have a plan in place for transportation home after discharge from an inpatient psychiatric hospital; $39,366 to provide community support services for individuals with behavioral health and substance use issues and $23,625 to provide funding for the jail assessment and treatment programs in Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Macon counties.

?AWAKE (Jackson), $14,748 for new conference room furniture to create a training space to provide community training, funding for a part-time CPA, and additional training funds to support children who are victims of abuse.

? Industrial Opportunities (Cherokee, Clay, Graham), $23,240 to purchase a van to be used in their employment and training programs for individuals with disabilities.

? Haywood Pathways Center (Haywood), $19,500 to purchase lockers for the guests at the homeless shelter.

? Meridian Behavioral Health (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Cherokee, Clay, Graham), $37,000 to provide continuation funding for the Patient Assistance Program which provided free psychiatric medications to over 500 individuals last year saving them over 2 million dollars; $75,000 to support the early recovery team working with individuals who have addiction issues, post discharge from the hospital, to increase community stability; continuation funding of $27,500 for the jail treatment programs in Haywood and Jackson Counties; $12,357 to purchase testing materials to expand their neuropsychiatric services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities; $17,811 to provide adventure based programs for youth in collaboration with HIGHTS and to provide sensory integration items for their school-based programs; and $6,000 to develop additional tele-psychiatry sites in the region.

? Macon County Health Department (Macon), $54,890 to integrate mental health assessments and counseling with their primary care services.

? Youth Villages (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Cherokee, Clay, Graham) $30,000 in support of their YV LifeSet Program which assists youth transitioning out of foster care with housing, training, employment, life skills and other supports.

? Full Spectrum Farms (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Cherokee, Clay, Graham), $36,000 to construct an outdoor pavilion to provide shade for program activities and for community rental to generate income for the program.

? Western Carolina University Counseling Center (Jackson), $10,000 to support student Recovery Month activities and provide training for student recovery coach training.

? Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department (Haywood), $25,000 toward the development of a fully accessible playground for children with disabilities.

Applications from not-for-profit organizations are accepted on a rolling basis, with the next award cycle in September. Grant proposals are due by Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. The mission of the Evergreen Foundation is to improve access to and public awareness of quality prevention, treatment, and support services by the provider community to individuals and families with intellectual/developmental disabilities, behavioral health, and/or substance abuse needs in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. To learn more about the Evergreen Foundation visit the website at www.evergreenfounda tionnc.org.