Mental Wellness Grants Awarded in White County

The Community Foundation of White County is proud to announce more than $58,000 in Mental Wellness Grants awarded to local organizations working to strengthen the health and wellbeing of our community.

Following several years of local data collection and collaboration around community health, the Foundation launched this strategic effort to invest in projects that expand access to mental health services, reduce stigma, build protective factors for youth, and uplift evidence-based programs that promote long-term mental wellness.

This year’s grants support a variety of efforts that nurture wellbeing in meaningful ways. Mental Health America of Wabash Valley Region will establish a White County office, expanding access to mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention services locally. Through peer-led navigation, community training, and local partnerships, this effort will help reduce stigma, strengthen collaboration, and build sustainable access to care.

White County United Way will continue building momentum for its Comeback Café initiative—a recovery-centered, community-based space that provides peer-led circles, job readiness support, life-skills training, and access to basic needs for individuals rebuilding their lives after incarceration, substance use, or mental health challenges.

Recognizing the strong link between physical activity and mental health, Monticello Parks & Recreation will expand outdoor exercise programs such as yoga at the Voigt Park fitness station and water aerobics and walking programs at the city pool. Engaging in outdoor movement promotes mood, reduces stress, and builds social connection, offering residents a holistic approach to wellness.

The Family Health Clinic will strengthen its Mobile Outreach Initiative, providing essential household and hygiene products to families at no cost. Meeting these basic needs helps reduce stress, encourage stability, and promote both physical and emotional health.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a volunteer-run nonprofit in Brookston, will continue its mission of building and delivering beds to children who would otherwise go without. Since 2023, the local chapter has delivered more than 78 fully furnished beds, creating not only a safe place to sleep but also a sense of dignity and comfort for children and their families.

Finally, Servants at Work (SAWs) will construct new wheelchair ramps for local residents, improving accessibility and independence for individuals with mobility challenges—key contributors to personal confidence and mental wellness.

These grants are made possible by the generosity of donors who have contributed to the Foundation’s unrestricted funds, which allow flexible support for the community’s most pressing needs. Unrestricted gifts give the Foundation the ability to respond quickly and strategically as new opportunities and challenges arise—like the growing need to address mental health.

Discretionary Funds: 

Kathy Sue Altman Endowment

Wayne C. Anderson Memorial Endowment Fund

Annie Horton Fund

Annis Family Endowment

Oscar and Hattie Baer

BLF Opportunity Fund

Bossaer Family Endowment

Dave and Becky Crosby Family Endowment

Keith and Dorothy Culp Endowment

John and Nancy Demerly Fund

Tom and Marge Diener Family Endowment

Art and Sarah Dragoo

John and Patricia Engler Family Endowment

Erdmann Family Fund

Dean and Judy Fleck Family Endowment

Governing Council Endowment

Hubert and Marcy Howard Endowment

Jim and Gloria Humphreys Family Endowment

Charles R. and Elizabeth J. Goss Fund

Skinner Family Farms Endowment

Kristin Hall-Whitacre Endowment Fund

Carl and Margaret Hall Memorial Endowment

James J and Phyllis Marie Hallar Family Endowment

Dave & Linda Kilmer Family Endowment

Elmer "Mike" and Ruth Klink Memorial Fund

Larry and Pamela Leman Endowment

Bill, Mary, and Steve McKinley Family Fund

Dave and Tami Parrish Family Endowment

Youth Philanthropy Council Endowment

Howard and Lucile Saylor Endowment

Ruth & Dempster Martin Family Endowment

Steve and Kathy Meadors Family Fund

Shari and Brad Moore Family Endowment

Mike and Marty Scheurich Family Endowment

Becky Wrede Shook Memorial Endowment

Colleen Shook Memorial Fund

Steve & Tracey Simmerman Family Endowment

Bob and Suzanne Smock Endowment

Ross and Madelene Westfall Family Endowment

Charles R. and Margaret H. Wineland Endowment

Twin Lakes Class of '71 Memorial Endowment

Katie and Charlie Wolf Endowment Fund

Larry and Nancy Crabb Family Endowment

Paul and Charlotte Neininger Community Fund

Roach Family Farms Endowment

Larry and Linda Yerk Kilmer Family Endowment

Community Cares Fund

Phil and Susie Vogel Family Endowment

Louanne Watson Condreay Endowment

Charles & Mary Watson Memorial Fund

Jeff and Cindy Wiese Campbell Family Endowment

Dave and Debbie Shook Youth Philanthropy Council Endowment

Robert J. Smith Fund