Geneva Mental Health Board awards $177K to 13 nonprofits

GENEVA – The Geneva 708 Mental Health Board announced the award of $177,000 in grants to 13 nonprofits that serve Geneva residents in the areas of mental health, addiction and for those with developmental delays.

Mental health board chairwoman Suzy Shogren presented the annual awards at Monday’s City Council meeting.

The organizations and their allocations are:

• Association for Individual Development - $38,000

• Ecker Center for Behavioral Health - $26,800

• TriCity Family Services - $25,900

• Fox Valley Hands of Hope - $16,600

• Elderday - $11,200

• Suicide Prevention Services - $9,200

• Lazarus House - $9,700

• HorsePower Therapeutic Riding - $8,300

• National Alliance on Mental Illness - $12,300

• The Joshua Tree Community - $7,400

• Fox Valley Special Recreation Association - $4,800

• DayOne Pact - $4,100

• Second Act, Scene Two - $2,700

The organizations had asked for nearly $37,000 more in grants – $213,927 – than the board could provide, documents show.

“As we have emerged from the pandemic, these organizations have worked tirelessly to provide desperately needed support to families and individuals,” Shogren said. “Challenge still exists for providers in multiple forms, but they continue to be a reliable source of help when need is present.”

For example, NAMI-KDK, serving southern Kane, DeKalb and Kendall counties, provides free mental health support, education and advocacy for individuals, family members and community members.

The Joshua Tree Community provides day programs for adults with intellectual disabilities who have aged out of the public school system.

Fox Valley Hands of Hope provides support in times of grief. Board member Susan Fitzen read a letter from the organization about a client who lost her mother in 2012, then her husband in 2018.

The woman “and her children were left feeling shocked and depressed and struggled to cope,” Fitzen read.

“People attribute grief to a single moment. However, that painful feeling can last a lifetime,” Fintzen read. “Losing a loved one is not something that someone will simply get over. Instead, grief is a journey that will be difficult at times and easier in others.”

The family participated in Grief Takes a Hike Family Camp, where, “The kids smiled and laughed which I had not seen in forever,” the mother told the organization. “It was beautiful and I left feeling like I could breathe.”

Fox Valley Hands of Hope’s services are all free, supported by donations and grants, such as the one received this year from the Geneva 708 Mental Health Board.

“This past year, we are encouraged by how society and our community have seemed to understand the importance of prioritizing mental health needs and the knowledge displayed as stigma continues to be diminished,” Shogren said. “In the media, in conversation and people’s actions, there are efforts to assist when someone acknowledges that stress, anxiety and struggle is affecting their wellbeing.”