EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Mayo Clinic Health System has awarded $375,000 in funding to several local school districts and nonprofit organizations in Northwest Wisconsin to support improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves. Over the past eight years, the Community Giving Committee has invested over $1.5 million to support this initiative.
"Core to our mission as a nonprofit health care provider is reinvesting into the health of our communities," says Richard Helmers, M.D., regional vice president, Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin. "While improving the health of the populations we serve is core to our work at Mayo Clinic Health System, we also are keenly aware we cannot do it alone, which is why supporting other community organizations is crucial."
Two available grant opportunities — the Supporting our Schools Award and the Hometown Health Grant — allowed school districts and nonprofits to apply for funding for new or existing programs.
Recipients recently named to receive Hometown Health Grant money are:
Chippewa Valley Free Clinic
Community Haven House
Dunn County DHHS Birth to 3 Program
Family Promise of the Chippewa Valley
Feed My People Food Bank
Hope Gospel Mission
Menomonie Police Department
Rice Lake Area Free Clinic
Ruby's Pantry - Cameron
Spring Valley Seniors Staying Put Inc.
West Central Wisconsin Community Action Agency Inc.
Western Dairyland EOC
This year's Supporting our Schools award recipients include programs that address establishing and stocking in-school food pantries and clothes closets, purchasing a hydroponic unit to teach students how to grow lettuce, buying food for student backpack programs, building a greenhouse and creating outdoor learning spaces.
Several approved projects addressed mental and emotional well-being, including creating peace paths for students, implementing the "Conscious Discipline" program, supporting the "Student Connections" program, and advancing social and emotional learning curriculums. Other projects include targeted mentoring and at-risk youth programming.
In addition to the grant opportunities, Mayo Clinic Health System will award $1,000 scholarships to 25 graduating seniors pursuing postsecondary education in a health care-related field.
"These awards represent Mayo Clinic Health System's continued commitment to investing in our communities as we work together to enrich the well-being of all who live in Northwest Wisconsin," says Brook Berg, director of Community Engagement, Mayo Clinic Health System in Northwest Wisconsin. "We are excited to be able to champion innovation in overall community health and support recipients whose goals closely align with Mayo Clinic Health System's commitment to addressing community health priorities in mental health, obesity, chronic disease, alcohol misuse and substance abuse, health equity, and health care workforce development."
Media Release from Mayo Clinic Health System.
