In its second and final grant round of 2016, the Williamsburg Health Foundation has awarded 18 grants, more than $1 million, to 15 organizations.
The funds support a mixture of new programs and longtime grantees, said Jeanne Zeidler, Foundation president and CEO.
A $25,000 grant to Child and Family Connection will allow purchase of neurofeedback equipment for the organization’s Neurofeedback Counseling Program, teaching self-regulation of brain activity.
“This type of treatment offers an alternative to medication for some children and adults,” Zeidler said in a news release. “Without our investment, this therapy would be inaccessible to many of our neighbors with low incomes and/or no insurance.”
A $46,505 grant will underwrite another program new to the community. Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA will present at the R.F. Wilkinson Family YMCA a Diabetes Prevention Program, encouraging lifestyle changes in adults diagnosed with prediabetes or at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. The Peninsula YMCA’s website states programs like the Diabetes Prevention Program have been shown to reduce risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 58 percent, according to research funded by the National Institutes for Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Among remaining funds, grants totaling $78,400 support access to healthy food, $41,000 for active living and $194,000 for mental health services, according to the release. Many of the grants fund organizations the foundation has long partnered with, such as Olde Towne Medical and Dental Center, Peninsula Agency on Aging or Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels.
“We believe that our organizations do the work, and they know what works, and that’s why you see a sprinkling of new grants but also ongoing support and long-term support for trusted agencies,” said Allison Brody, the foundation’s director of community resource development and engagement.
Brody also noted the importance to the foundation of supporting “staff time.” The foundation’s grant to the College of William and Mary’s New Horizons Family Counseling Center, for example, helps pay for counselor hours, Brody said.
“We know that in many health and human services agencies, the staff is the program,” she said. “When you have home visitors, when you have doctors or social workers or counselors, you need to pay for staff time, because that’s what’s making the difference in people’s lives.”
Bridges can be reached by phone at 757-345-2342.
Grantees
Child and Family Connection – Neurofeedback Counseling Program ($25,000) and Violence Prevention and Intervention Program ($30,000).
The College of William and Mary, New Horizons Family Counseling Center – Youth and Family Counseling ($125,000).
York County, Division of Juvenile Services – Psychological and Substance Abuse Services ($14,000).
The Arc of Greater Williamsburg – Fitness Program ($25,000).
Williamsburg Soccer Foundation – Virginia Legacy Soccer Community Partnership Program ($16,000).
Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA – YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program ($46,505).
Postpartum Support Virginia, Inc. – Healthy Mother, Healthy Family ($4,000).
Virginia Oral Health Coalition – Oral Health Integration for Greater Williamsburg ($4,000).
Grove Christian Outreach Center – Food Access outreach Program ($4,000) and Children’s Summer Lunch Program ($4,400).
Virginia Peninsula Foodbank – Mobile Food Pantry ($20,000).
Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels – Nutritious Noontime Meals ($50,000).
Olde Towne Medical and Dental Center – Basic operating support ($450,000) and Transition from Hospital to Home Partnership ($50,000).
The Doorways – Patient and Family Access Program ($15,000).
Housing Partnerships, Inc. – Rapid Response Ramp Loan Program ($13,878).
Peninsula Agency on Aging – PAA RIDES Program ($110,000).
Source: Williamsburg Health Foundation
