Corewell Health Foundation Southwest Michigan awards $224,000 to local non-profits

Corewell Health Foundation Southwest Michigan, formerly Spectrum Health Lakeland Foundation, awarded a total of $224,016 in grant awards in 2022 through the Community Wellness Endowment to local non-profits that closely align with Corewell Health South’s mission.

Since the inception of the Community Wellness Endowment in 2015, the Foundation has distributed more than $1.5 million in grants. The purpose of the Community Wellness Endowment is to help support non-profit organizations that promote community health and wellness to populations within Berrien, Van Buren and Cass counties in southwest Michigan. Support is focused on existing programs, new programs and capital needs.

“This unique grant program allows us the opportunity to give back to area non-profits and the people they serve,” said Soroya Pierre-VanArtsen, president, Corewell Health Foundation Southwest Michigan. “It also helps us advance our mission to improve health, instill humility and inspire hope within our community.”

The organizations that received a grant award in 2022 include:

• Berrien County Blanket Brigade

• Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Michigan

• Benton Harbor Community Development Corporation

• Michiana Family Center

• Friends of New Troy

• Present Pillars

• Senior Services of Van Buren County

• Strong Women of Faith Breast Cancer Support Group

• The Salvation Army, Niles

• WeECHO Youth Services Inc.

Applications for the next grant period are due by April 4, 2023. For more information, visit www. lakelandhealthfoundations.org.

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Prejudice, discrimination, and violence toward Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals are major social problems. Many studies have demonstrated that members of these groups are at increased risk of being excluded, insulted, bullied, assaulted, and murdered. They are also at significantly increased risk of suicide.

Adolescent and young adult LGBT individuals are especially vulnerable. Schools need to be aware of this and to provide a learning environment in which every student can feel safe.

What can be done to reduce, and eventually eliminate, prejudice, discrimination, and violence toward LGBT individuals? Research studies have identified a number of effective interventions:

Gay-Straight alliances (or Gender and Sexuality Alliances) in high schools. These are after-school clubs in which LGBT and non-LGBT students join together for discussions and collaborative activities. GSA clubs have been shown to be beneficial for both groups of participants. Schools that have established these clubs have seen a significant reduction in anti-LGBT prejudice and bullying.

Educational workshops for teachers and administrators. These activities provide important information about LGBT students’ vulnerabilities, and suggest effective methods for providing needed supports and preventing or countering anti-LGBT bullying.

Reading books and watching videos about the experiences of LGBT individuals. These activities increase awareness and empathy and reduce anti-LGBT prejudice.

In Southwest Michigan, we are blessed to have an institution, the OutCenter, that provides expert consultation to teachers and administrators, helps schools organize and maintain GSA clubs, consults with parents about the best ways to support their LGBT child and themselves, and provides a safe space for LGBT individuals and nonLGBT allies to meet for discussions and collaborative activities. To learn more about the OutCenter’s programs, please contact Program Director Gerik Nasstrom at gerik@outcenter.org

— DR. LARRY FELDMAN, LAKESIDE