Children’s Mental Health

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1 in 5 youth

are in need of mental health services.

Half of all lifetime cases of

mental disorders begin by age 14.

109,000

Minnesotan children and youth, birth to age 21, need treatment for serious emotional disturbances.

Serious mental illnesses reduce life expectancy by

10 to 20 years

a loss of years that’s

equivalent to or worse than that for heavy smoking. On average, there is only

one child psychiatrist for every 15,000 children

and adolescents under 18.

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1:792

Minnesota is 48th in the nation for access to school counselors, with 792 students for every school counselor.

Give the Gift of Potential Campaign Overview Philanthropy has the power to change lives by providing greater access to health care throughout our community, improving the patient and family experience, and supporting innovation and research that will build a better future for us all. Park Nicollet Foundation has more than 40 years of experience in transforming the love and care of a community into programs that will continue to have an impact for generations. Our Love and Legacy Campaign to support Children’s Mental Health provides you with the opportunity to be a critical part of creating a legacy that will give generations of children a future of wellness. Through programs in our communities, partnerships with local school districts and collaboration with area nonprofits, Park Nicollet Foundation, with your help, is working to meet the critical need for children’s mental health resources. The enclosed information outlines opportunities for your involvement and highlights key areas in which philanthropic support will be used to impact the lives of children and families who are struggling with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders and many others. With early mental health care intervention, children and adolescents have improved academic achievement, feel more connected to their peers and school, and have enhanced social competencies, including assertiveness, communication, and self-confidence. With your help, we can transform our love into a lasting legacy of commitment to help children move forward with the support and therapies they need to thrive and become healthy and productive community members.

All gifts and five-year pledges, of any size, will make a tremendous impact on the lives of children and families struggling with mental health issues.

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Mobilizing Community to Change a Child’s Future Together, we can build more programs like Growing Through Grief and rise to meet our community’s growing need for children’s mental health care.

“I felt pretty alienated by my circumstances. By going to Growing Through Grief, I felt like I had much more support from other people who had been through what I had. It took me about six months to feel comfortable enough to share at group, and everyone was really respectful of that. Members of the group had an alliance. We looked out for each other. We trusted each other.” After losing her father when she was 15, Maya, pictured here with her mother Amy and brother Noah, found solace and healing with our Growing Through Grief Program. Now 20, she is enjoying college. 4

Children’s Mental Health Endowment Fund Build a Legacy of Hope More than 15 million American children have a psychiatric disorder, and the majority of these children never receive the help they need. In the mind and body of a child without access to treatment, these issues can steal a childhood, become lifelong, chronic illnesses, and alter quality of life. Because of a national near-crisis-level lack of mental health practitioners, our current health care system is unable to respond to the growing need for children’s mental health care. Children in need fail to be identified and lack access to treatment, while their families struggle to cope.

Park Nicollet Foundation has demonstrated a longtime commitment to improving children’s access to mental health care, with innovative programs such as: •

Growing Through Grief - Helps children in school through the grieving process of losing a loved one. Grief support groups are led by specially trained counselors meeting with more than 500 children each week across 13 school districts.

•

No Obstacles to Wellbeing (NOW!) - Eliminates access barriers by providing in-school mental health services through secure video technology, with access to both Spanish and English speaking therapists.

•

Melrose Center - Offers programs for children facing eating disorders

•

Partnering with Community Organizations - Amplifying our impact by reaching more children

Park Nicollet Foundation is committed to bringing innovative solutions to our community to address children’s mental health’s growing and unmet needs. By establishing a permanent endowment fund, we will be able to respond to current and future needs. This endowment will ensure that Park Nicollet Foundation, in partnership with the community, will always have resources available to help children struggling with mental health issues.

$3

million

With your help, Park Nicollet Children’s Mental Health goal Endowment Fund will build a lasting legacy that will improve access to mental health resources for children in need. 5

Changing a Child’s Future with Innovation Park Nicollet Foundation understands children’s mental health resource constraints, and with your help, will continue to find innovative solutions, like NOW!, for the families in our community.

“Adolescence is a time when mental health issues begin to surface for many children. These mental health struggles can be debilitating and have an impact on their education and social development. Many of these students face economic, transportation, and family issues that may create barriers in accessing the care that they need. NOW! eliminates these barriers and allows us to provide a very high level of intervention for students in need.” Delana Brinkman, Chair of the St. Louis Park Schools Student Services Department, heads up our NOW! program in that district.

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“ W hen we cast o u r b r ead u pon the wate r s ,

we can p r es u me that someone downst r eam whose face we ma y ne v e r see

will benefit f r om o u r action , e v en as we en j o y the

gifts sent to u s F R O M a dono r u pst r eam . ” - Maya Angelou

To make your gift or see plans and updates about the Love and Legacy Campaign, contact Park Nicollet Foundation, 6500 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, MN 55426 or call 952-993-5023.

Thank you

for building your legacy with Park Nicollet Foundation.

For more information about how you can donate to Park Nicollet Foundation’s Love and Legacy Campaign and give a better future to children in need, contact Lynn Groll at 952-993-6335 or [email protected].

Park Nicollet Foundation 6500 Excelsior Blvd. St. Louis Park, MN 55426 952-993-5023 parknicollet.com/foundation 8