On February 9, Women's Fund announced the 2017 grants. They include Bethesda Health Clinic - $50,000, Children's Advocacy Center of Smith County - $66,000, Meals on Wheels Ministry - $34,128 and Young Audiences of Northeast Texas - $35,000. This will bring the cumulative amount of grants given since 2009 to $1,143,263, surpassing the $1,000,000 mark in grant dollars given to Smith County nonprofits. Thank you Women's Fund members!
This initiative will expand Bethesda’s current social work department by adding a full-time patient advocate to help the clinic address the growing number of women who are suffering from more than just medical issues. Working to improve the overall health of these women will result in healthier, stronger and more productive families and a more robust workforce in Smith County.
The $66,000 grant will provide for a full-time, in-house Nurse Practitioner for non-emergency pediatric sexual assault medical evaluations. The expansion will serve 100-150 children and young sex traffic victims and also will include education to the public on sexual assault and human trafficking.
The goal, in the first year of the program, is to identify and serve 250 female clients of MOWM living in Smith County and supply 365 days of breakfasts to them. By providing nutritionally dense, shelf-stable breakfast items, as well as milk for the week, combined with their current home-delivered meal service, these seniors are assured the physical and emotional comfort of having enough food each day and remain living independently in their own homes.
For nearly 20 years, Young Audiences has partnered with Tyler ISD to increase arts access for its students. This funding will help expand that programming by partnering with Whitehouse ISD and Chapel Hill ISD to provide arts access to underserved students and teachers. An arts rich education has proven to give students energetic new ways of thinking and exploring – essential for future leaders.
