Support For Our Future: Youth Services Center Partnership Grant Recipients

 This publication has been edited for clarity and length. 

To expand support for youth health and education, the Community Foundation of Louisville introduced a new grant process in March 2024 called the Youth Services Center Partnership Grant. This opportunity distributed one-time grants of up to $20,000 to six local nonprofits that are enhancing the safety, well-being, and educational outcomes of the JCPS middle and high school students.  

“The Foundation is excited to partner with Youth Services Center (YSC) coordinators and other stakeholders to deliver this support,” shared Gad Niyiragira, Program Officer of Advocacy and Culture at the Foundation. “These coordinators know firsthand the unique needs and challenges that disadvantaged students face, and we are proud to have relied on their voice and expertise to identify partnering nonprofits to support. I’m looking forward to seeing the impact this grant will have on our kids in every corner of the city.” 

Meet Our Grant Recipients 

Adelante Hispanic Achievers 

Photo courtesy of Adelante Hispanic Achievers.

Founded in 2004, Adelante’s mission is to empower Hispanic/Latino youth to achieve their dreams and contribute as creative and educated world citizens. Their comprehensive, long-term, and holistic approach begins in middle school, guiding students and their families through a successful high school journey, and preparing them for career and college success. Through intensive individual and group instruction, personalized tutoring and mentoring, exposure to various career options, and opportunities for community service, Adelante ensures that their “Achievers” have the support they need to thrive.  

“By alleviating the pressure of fundraising, the grant enables us to focus on program delivery for JCPS students and allows us to expand our range of programs and activities, directly benefiting these students.” said Executive Director Juliana Rodríguez V.

Americana Community Center 

Photo courtesy of Americana Community Center.

Americana Community Center‘s provides holistic services to Louisville’s refugee, immigrant and underserved population to build strong and healthy families, create a safe and supportive community and help every individual realize their potential. The organization continues to bridge the gap from surviving to thriving through education, family support, youth achievement, and career and financial development. 

Americana has recently expanded programming and mental wellness resources with the support from the Foundation’s grant, with a focus on inclusivity for youth, and has seen great community engagement from youth and significant improvements in the well-being of all their participants. 

“Students have been attending social-emotional classes with our on-site psychologist,” said Youth Program Coordinator Rehani Fundi. “Part of our goal was to fight the stigma associated with mental health, and we have noticed an increased vocabulary among our youth when it comes to discussing their feelings and emotions.” 

“For example, one youth who attended the mental wellness class reported a friend engaging in unhealthy habits to our staff,” said Fundi. “This occurred after a few classes on suicide prevention and reporting uncomfortable situations. When asked why she reported her friend, she responded that it was not a good secret to keep, her friend needed professional help, and she did it for her friend’s benefit.”

BAYA Corp 

Photo courtesy of BAYA Corp. 

Beautiful As You Are (B.A.Y.A) is a powerful movement that aims to empower individuals to recognize and embrace their unique beauty and self-worth. B.A.Y.A encourages individuals to celebrate their individuality and embrace their strengths, quirks, and imperfections through workshops, seminars, and community events to develop a positive self-image and cultivate self-love. 

“Our program is very expensive to run because we give the students tangible items to take with them at the end of each self-esteem building workshop,” said Founder and Executive Director Tanisha Frederick. “We use arts and crafts to guide them through creating things that will help them remember the topic for the day. Students who have been in our program for years have rooms filled with reminders of how special they are, how to handle a situation that is uncomfortable for them, [and] that they are more than their current circumstances. We are very grateful for these funds because the demand for our program has increased. Schools are beginning to see the value of supporting a child’s mental well-being and its impact on their overall performance in school along with better behavior.” 

Men of Quality (Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Chapter) 

Photo courtesy of Men of Quality Initiative. 

The Louisville members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. have partnered with Jefferson County Public Schools for the past 30 years in the Men of Quality (MOQ) program. The focus of MOQ is to inspire male students to set goals that positively impact their futures.  Fortunately, many of their in-school MOQ sponsors are Family Resource Youth Services Center (FRYSC) coordinators. During their 30 years of existence, the FRYSC coordinators have always been with them.

“When the Youth Services Center Grant was announced, we saw a unique opportunity to proactively assist students near our fraternity center and MOQ headquarters, which are located in the Russell neighborhood. Central High School is one mile away and The Academy at Shawnee is less than two miles away.  Both Principals, Dr. Compton at Central and Ms. Smith at Shawnee are longtime supporters of MOQ. We have pledged our support to the students and staff at both schools.” 

Home of the Innocents 

Photo courtesy of Home of the Innocents.

Established in 1880, Home of the Innocents enriches the lives of children and families with hope, health, and happiness. Programs include residential and community-based behavioral health services, therapeutic foster care and adoption services, supportive services for young adults experiencing homelessness, and long-term care for children with complex medical needs. 

“Our longtime collaboration with JCPS’ Youth Service Centers across our community is an integral part of our continuum of care,” said President and CEO Paul Robinson. “This award will further empower our team members to provide the comprehensive support that youth need to foster a brighter future socially, emotionally, and academically.” 

UofL Health – Peace Hospital 

Photo courtesy of UofL Health – Peace Hospital.

UofL Health – Peace Hospital offers a partial hospitalization program (PHP) called Crossroads. Crossroads provides mental health treatment for children and adolescents ages 5-18 years old who don’t need an inpatient level of care but need more than weekly outpatient therapy to address their emotional or behavioral concerns. Crossroads is a three-to-four-week program held during the school week. This is an in-person treatment program offered to Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) students. The program addresses concerns that impact functioning at home, school, and in the community. While students are engaged in treatment at Crossroads, they are enrolled in JCPS’ on-site school called Peace Academy. In fiscal year 2023, Crossroads provided treatment services to 415 JCPS students in the targeted zip codes. 

“We would like to retain more students in this program and one change we would like to make would be to add a telehealth group therapy tract,” said System Director of Behavioral Health Kelly Gillooly. “Adding this option would allow those students that have not been successful in the in-person group therapy to remain enrolled in treatment but offered the opportunity to participate via a telehealth group instead. 

The support from the Community Foundation of Louisville allows us to purchase a new computer and monitor and supply kits. These [kits] will be mailed to adolescents enrolled in the telehealth group and include journaling materials, group art therapy supplies (markers, colored pencils, construction paper, drawing paper, glue sticks), pens, reference charts: feelings, coping skills, group worksheets/handouts, serv[ing] 100 middle and high school students. We believe that by working collaboratively with JCPS’ Youth Service Centers, we will help patients begin the journey of healing and ultimately, to live successfully in the community.” 

Interested in learning more? For more information on this grant program, contact the Community Leadership team at communityengagement@cflouisville.org.