Info session scheduled for nonprofit community benefit organizations to learn more.
When Joanna* was jailed at Lancaster County Prison, she was already expecting to give birth to a baby boy in 6 weeks. Compass Mark’s Family Services Advocate met with her soon after her incarceration. Joanna hoped her supportive boyfriend could be equipped to parent her baby while she served her sentence. The Advocate and support services group worked with Joanna to ensure that the man was prepared to give her infant son the care and safety every child deserves. The process revealed worrisome charges from his past, leaving Joanna stunned and desperate for her baby’s welfare.
Turning to this support team in tears, Joanna pleaded with the Advocate and support services team to help her baby. They connected her to Bethany Christian Services Safe Families Program. Safe Families provided Joanna’s infant son with an alternative to foster care, placing him temporarily in a vetted, loving home. The Advocate even brought Joanna’s baby to visit her in prison, establishing the parent-child bond necessary for him to thrive.
LOHF currently supports Community Action Partnership’s RMO program with Compass Mark through a grant for its program, “Minimizing Trauma for Children of Justice-Involved Parents through a Trauma-Informed Justice System.” This program trains first responders in understanding and reducing childhood trauma while supporting families in crisis. LOHF this month also awarded a grant to Bethany Children’s Services to support Safe Families for Children.
LOHF provides a safety net of support for families by strengthening successful programs that support children’s behavioral health in Lancaster County. We do this in part through our Children’s Behavioral Health Grants.
Grants Information Session
LOHF will host an interactive info session about our grants and application process on Wednesday, June 6, at 2:00 p.m., at Emerald Foundation, 2120 Oregon Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601. This will include an opportunity to hear from current and past grantees, Executive Director Anna Kennedy, and question and answer time. RSVP is requested but not required, by e-mailing Jeannette Scott at jscott@lohfoundation.org, or calling (717) 397-8722. Visit lohf.org/grants to learn more.
Tax-exempt community benefit organizations serving Lancaster County may apply. Funded activities should focus one or more of the following: care coordination, parent/caregiver education, and access (increase capacity of providers to treat children). Thanks to LOHF’s endowment and generous donors, $100,000 is available annually. Grants are awarded in two application cycles, spring and fall.
“At LOHF, our mission is to strengthen behavioral health services for children and families so that all children and teens have access to healthcare—for mental health, substance use disorder, or behavioral health needs—as soon as possible,” Executive Director Anna Kennedy said. “The grants we provide help children and teens, their families, providers, and teachers. We invite all community benefit organizations to join us in learning about how we can improve children’s behavioral health for all families in Lancaster.”
*Name changed to protect privacy.
