The Heywood Healthcare Charitable Foundation awarded grants to seven local agencies on Nov. 15
Organizations receiving funding were Our Father’s House, to hire a part-time street outreach worker to engage and assist chronically homeless individuals in the Heywood Healthcare service area; Seeds of Solidarity, to develop and implement therapeutic gardens at the Quabbin Retreat; The Village School, to renovate the facilities; “Skills-for- Life”, to expand their successful pilot into an ongoing series of learning opportunities for 25 to 50 rural young adults to build confidence and communication skills while learning a myriad of practical life skills; and YOU Inc., to expand the position of its prevention specialist, who provides various forms of support to families with immediate and pressing needs, creating plans to stabilize families for long-term and provides workshops and support groups to educate parents to be proactive in addressing various health and socioeconomic needs before they get to a crisis stage.
Additionally, GAAHMA received funding to purchase and implement a cloud-based system to effectively manage client records; The North Quabbin Community Coalition award will provide staff hours for the Jail to CommunityTask Force, which supports men returning to the North Quabbin area after being incarcerated; The United Arc will fund the “The Healthy Families Living Well” program – a 10-week parent education and support program focusing on parents with a physical, mental or cognitive disability to aid them in knowledge and skills to improve their access to healthcare, knowledge about nutrition and ways to improve their overall well-being.
Finally, the award to National Alliance on Mental Illness North Central MA will provide training for “In Our Own Voice” presenters who offer free presentations led by two people living with serious mental illnesses and who will share their journey with their disorders.