Terre Haute, IN – United Way of the Wabash Valley’s Community Health and Youth Success Impact Councils are awarding $29,200 in funding for the Healthy Kids in Mind and Body Initiative. This will help support innovative programs to improve the overall health of their youth participants.

Recent studies describe the rise in the numbers of young people across the country who are experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, and aggression. According to a US Surgeon General’s report, in 2021, 4 in 10 students (42%) felt sad or hopeless, and almost one-third (29%) experienced poor mental health.

Afterschool and summer programs play an essential role in supporting the healthy development of young people, serving as a safe space that fosters belonging, develops supportive relationships with peers and adult mentors, encourages healthy behaviors, and helps young people build and cultivate the skills necessary to navigate through the struggles and challenges they may come up against in life.

United Way is awarding 7 projects across the Wabash Valley with varying awards up to $5,000 each. The projects will encourage Wabash Valley youth to attain a well-balanced healthy lifestyle both physically and mentally and provide them with knowledge and resources that will help them cope with life’s pressures successfully. Award winners include:

• Brown Bagger School Food Program (Shelburn, IN) – Awarded $5,000 for the “Successful Students” program. The plan is to establish an afterschool program with a safe place for students to come for healthy snacks, complete homework assignments (retired teachers on-site for assistance), participate in Play 60 and provide opportunities for age-appropriate life skills classes taught by various business leaders and teachers.
• Community Theatre of Clay County (Brazil, IN) – Awarded $2,000 for the “Theatre for Childhood Well-Being” program. It will be a free theater program which will address obesity through physical activity (typically dancing) and support mental health by allowing children to explore emotions, build self-esteem, and learn valuable life skills.
• Merom Camp and Retreat Center (Merom, IN) – Awarded $5,000 for the “Catch the Spirit: Igniting Minds, Moving Bodies” program. Their plan is to construct a ropes challenge course, scavenger hunts, and a canoeing /kayaking spot on the Wabash River. The summer day camp for middle and high school students is crafted to promote not only physical fitness but also leadership development and camaraderie among peers.
• Northeast East Elementary (Hymera, IN) – Awarded $2,701 for the “Cultivating Child Resilience” program. Their jumpstart summer program provides nourishment, exercise, and stability, meeting students’ social and physical needs with access to exercise equipment, character-building books, art supplies, and take-home materials to reinforce learning beyond the program hours.
• Sullivan City Park Board (Sullivan, IN) – Awarded $5,000 for the “Family Fitness at the Sullivan City Pool” program. This program will offer a free family swim day weekly focused on K-12 students and their families to positively impact physical wellness, social wellness, and mental health of the community.
• Terre Haute Torpedoes (Terre Haute, IN) – Awarded $5,000 for the “Free Swim Lessons for Kids” program. They will offer free swim lessons at the Aquatic Center for all children in Wabash Valley from potty-trained to age 17.
• Wellness Box (Terre Haute, IN) – Awarded $4,500 for the “Nutrition Education for Youth Conditioning Program.” The youth conditioning program aims to address the overall health and well-being of its participants by providing free conditioning exercise programs and free nutritional programs.

Marlene Burns, Review Team Chair, stated “The programs we are funding are getting kids moving, but they are also projects that will improve their social/emotional well-being and teach kids life skills, and the importance of nutrition. We are especially excited to fund projects in Clay and Sullivan counties, as well as Vigo County.”