Blue Mountain Community Foundation recently awarded grants from the First FruitsFund, a component fund of BMCF. As promised we will be announcing recent grant awards over the next few weeks.

The Ninth grantee is…

Student Health Options, The Health Center at Lincoln, $10,000

Great things continue to happen at the newly dubbed Health Center at Lincoln.  This clinic, situated next to Lincoln High School, provides free medical and mental health services to the student population at Lincoln.

Through the generosity of the community, including volunteers and local funders, the Health Center has been able to expand not only its space, but also its services.  A recent addition to the clinic site is a handicap access ramp.

As of April 25, 2012, the Center had served 191 different students for over 1342 visits. The goals of the Health Center are:

• Deliver primary health and mental health care and substance abuse counseling for all the students at Lincoln High School.
• Enable the students to obtain care that they need in a professional, confidential setting so that they may thrive.
• Educate the students on being stronger medical consumers, while working to keep them connected to school and developing healthier choices.

Funds from this grant will be used for existing program support, including development of a new site at Blue Ridge Elementary School.

To view an amazing video about the work at The Health Center at Lincoln click here.

The First Fruits Fund

The First Fruits Fund was established in 2008 with a generous grant from the Vista Hermosa Foundation.  Since that time, the Fund has made 66 grants exceeding $550,000.

The stated goal of the First Fruits Fund is to “encourage collaborative and innovative approaches to building self-sufficiency for the most under-served in our communities, including improved access to such basic needs as housing, food, education and livable wages.”  Founders believe that the most impactful way to achieve that goal is to support community-based initiatives that empower people themselves to identify their needs and collectively own the process of change.