(Coatesville, PA) – Over the summer of 2021, The Alliance for Health Equity held meetings with its grant partners to hear first-hand of the assets, as well as critical needs that each grant partner was experiencing. The largest need identified by these organizations was behavioral health.
COVID-19 put a significant burden on nonprofits and community members associated with mental health and wellbeing. Staff shortages, zoom fatigue, lack of volunteers, and continued capacity needs increased the organizations’ mental health needs. While pushing through this, there was also the mental health burden of COVID-19 escalating anxiety due to the worry of the individuals or a close friend/family contracting the virus, as well as the community stresses of economic downturn and inequitable burdens of health care access to our diverse communities. The needs of the community were met by increased workloads and dedication from each of The Alliance For Health Equity’s nonprofit grant partners.
Due to this critical need for behavioral health, The Alliance for Health Equity proudly administered a grant check of $2,500 to 30 community grant partners (see list below) as a token of appreciation for all that they do on behalf of our community. The $2,500 has no restrictions, as long as it is used for the staff to take care of their emotional well-being. This is the time for our grant partners to pause and focus on their staff’s mental health and well-being.
Dr. Dolly Wideman-Scott, Ed.D., Chief Executive Officer, Domestic Violence Center of Chester County said, “When I opened the mail and saw the generous grant for staff’s mental health and wellness, I was deeply excited and paused to extend gratitude. On behalf of the employees of the Domestic Violence Center, this gift is timely and needed- as you know we have continued to serve and have not closed our doors!"
The Alliance for Health Equity values our partnerships and care about the staff who continue to work tirelessly in helping The AHE to carry out its mission, to advance a more equitable, resilient, and healthy community. It continues to be a challenging year, and our grant partner staff continue to respond to the vital needs of the Greater Coatesville.
The AHE looks forward to continuing our support through trust-based philanthropy. Coming soon, The Alliance for Health Equity will present its new round of funding for 2022. Please be sure to check out our website at alliancehealthequity.org to learn more about The AHE upcoming grantmaking opportunities in 2022.
The awarded grant partners included: Better Tomorrows, Brians House, Inc., The Bridge Academy and Community Center, Charles A Melton Center for Arts & Education, Chester County Futures, Chester County OIC, Child Guidance Resource Center, Coatesville 2nd Century Alliance, Brandywine Valley Active Aging, Coatesville Center for Community Health, Coatesville Youth Initiative, Community Volunteers in Medicine, Community, Youth and Women’s Alliance, Inc., Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, Family Promise of Southern Chester County, Family Service of Chester County, Good Works, Inc., Greater Philadelphia Search and Rescue, Hope Beyond Borders, Human Services, Inc., Keystone Valley Fire Department, Maternal and Child Health Consortium, Mitzvah Circle, Modena Fire Co No 1, The Parkesburg POINT, Pennsylvania Health Access Network, Valley Youth House, Volunteer English Program in Chester County, W.C Atkinson Memorial Community Service Center, Inc., Youth Mentoring Partnership.