May 2023
WEA Member Benefits Foundation, Inc., has made great progress in supporting students’ mental health through the establishment of funds for direct help and for emergency assistance. We are also creating more community connections and will be holding our first major fundraising event in August.
Racine receives funding to support student mental health
The Racine Unified School District is one of the recipients of WEA Member Benefits Foundation’s pilot grant program that focuses on access to school-based mental health services. The AmFam Institute and community partners, including WEA Member Benefits Foundation, helped to fund the Access to All program in Racine, which ensures money is not a barrier to accessing mental health care.
In response, students at Washington Park High School Key Club took the initiative to help raise more money for the Access to All project. We love seeing students get involved in their community and sharing empathy for others. Hear from students in the Key Club who raised money to help this cause through AmFam Institute’s short Facebook reel.
School emergency fund established
WEA Member Benefits Foundation has created a school emergency fund to provide financial support for emergencies experienced by Wisconsin public school students, educators, and/or schools/districts. Examples include catastrophic events such as suicide, death of a student or educator, shooting, natural disaster, and other events that affect student and staff mental health and well-being. Most gifts will be in the $250-$500 range.
Governor Evers event honoring children’s mental health
Our active role in connecting school districts and local funders earned us an invitation to Governor Evers’ “Children’s Mental Health Advocacy Celebration” at the Executive Residence on May 30, 2023. We were invited because of our efforts to expand private philanthropy funding for school mental health services. Steve Goldberg, Executive Director of the Foundation, was able to build connections with advocates of student mental health from across Wisconsin, including state government officials.
August 7 School Mental Health Celebration and Fundraising Event
Registrations and sponsorships continue to arrive for the Foundation’s Golf Open at The Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove. Some school districts plan to assemble a team for the golf scramble and some of our business partners have been extremely generous with their support. The schedule includes a silent auction, box lunches, putting contest, and hole prizes, as well as an evening cash bar, silent auction/raffle, buffet dinner, and student art contest award presentation.
Join us as an individual or as a group and support student mental health! More information and registration can be found on our event page. Register by July 14.
Learn more about sponsorship opportunities for the golf event.
How our pilot districts are using their funds from the Foundation
There are many productive ways our pilot school districts are using the funds we’ve helped them secure. It’s an impressive list:
- Increasing onsite service hours from community-based counselors and therapists.
- Launching a comprehensive mental health resource website for students, parents and educators.
- Expanding mental health service to all elementary students.
- Offsetting high health insurance deductibles to help more students afford treatment.
- Improving mental health support for female students of color.
- Adding more onsite mental health clinics.
- Expanding peer support group activity.
- Staff development training around student mental health issues and employee wellness.
- Improving follow-up support for students returning from mental health hospitalization (these hospitalizations have doubled in the last year).
- Adding a trauma screener for elementary grades.
- Restorative justice training for all staff.
- Covering costs of community-based clinicians to treat trauma-exposed students.
- Expanding ethnic and racial trauma programs, a growing issue for students of color.
- Training current staff as Social Emotional Learning coaches.
- Hiring a fulltime district mental health navigator.
- Expanding their district-wide student mental health assessment process.
For more information, please contact Steve Goldberg, Executive Director at 608-575-9171. And follow us on Facebook!