NCH awards $75,000 to 19 local agencies

After a comprehensive application process, the NCH Community Health and Outreach Board Committee has selected 19 community agencies to divide a $75,000 gift of support. Awards ranged from $1,750 to $6,750 in support of programs that help increase access to care and promote health and wellness.

“NCH has been identifying and addressing unmet community needs for more than sixty years,” said CEO Steve Scogna. “We conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment to establish priority areas in which to focus our efforts and resources. To help address these priorities and unmet needs, we allocate a limited number of funds to not-for-profit community organizations that align with our mission and the needs of the community we serve.”

The four largest grant winners this year received $6,750 each. The organizations include:

• Hopeful Beginnings of St. Mary’s of Palatine, which will use the funds for a maternity counseling program, including anxiety, depression and post-partum for under-resourced women.
• Partners for our Communities, of Palatine, which will use the funds for operational support for staff and expenses associated with the Community Resource Center.
• The Kenneth Young Center in Elk Grove Village, which will provide home-delivered meals for senior citizens.
• WINGS domestic violence program of Palatine, which will use the funds for operational support for Safe House, transitional housing and their NCH on-site counselor.

To fairly and consistently evaluate the applications, each is graded on criteria such as: will the requested fund meet a community need? Does the requesting organization work collaboratively with NCH in addressing the needs? Will the need be addressed in the NCH service area? Will the funds requested be used for a vulnerable population? Will the organization be addressing a need that no other organization already provides?

“It brings me great pride to work for an organization that is so invested in the community. As we join the NorthShore University HealthSystem family of hospitals, we will always remain focused on Arlington Heights and the surrounding communities we serve,” said Executive Director of Community Services and Advocacy at NCH, Karen Baker. “Even as our buildings have grown and our footprint has spread, the NCH philanthropic spirit has never wavered.”

For more information about NCH’s involvement in the community visit https://www.nch.org/about/community-services/.