(Joplin, MO) – Lafayette House is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation Regional Grantmaking Program, a partnership with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, managed by Commerce Trust Company. Lafayette House is one of 12 organizations receiving grants totaling $250,000 through the Coover Regional Youth Mental Health Grants program this year. This crucial funding will support the organization’s Rural Youth Mental Wellness Initiative, which serves youth aged 12—21 in seven rural southwest Missouri counties.
“This grant will allow us to expand our vital Prevention Education Program to reach more rural youth who need mental health support and education,” said Susan Hickam, Executive Director of Lafayette House. “In communities where mental health resources are often limited or difficult to access, this initiative will create a comprehensive support system for youth mental wellness.”
Eli Moran, Chief Strategy Officer at Lafayette House, emphasized the transformative potential of this funding: “The Coover Foundation’s investment in rural youth mental health comes at a critical time when we’re seeing increased need for these services. This grant enables us to implement school-based interventions, community outreach, and parent education programs that will have lasting impact on the mental wellbeing of young people across Southwest Missouri.”
The Prevention Education Program implements evidence-based curricula like Safe Dates, Dating Matters, and an interactive tool called In Their Shoes, in rural schools, providing consistent support and early identification of mental health concerns caused by unhealthy relationships, teen dating violence or various forms of abuse through social media. The program will train educators and parents to recognize signs of mental distress and implement trauma-informed approaches, while also engaging the broader community through awareness events and educational programs.
Through this initiative, Lafayette House aims to serve youth and adults across Barry, Barton, Dade, Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald, and Newton counties. The program addresses critical gaps in rural mental health services by providing accessible, preventative education support directly in schools and communities.
“Knowing that the increased suicide rate for youth in rural communities is often due to lack of access to resources, these grants are vitally important,” said Jill Reynolds, senior vice president at Commerce Trust and chair of the Coover Foundation grant selection committee. “We’re grateful to support the good work of these agencies to ensure brighter futures for the youth in their communities.”
Lafayette House extends their sincere gratitude to the Coover Charitable Foundation and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks for their partnership in this transformative project. Their support enables Lafayette House to continue its mission of providing vital mental health services to rural youth in need.
About Lafayette House:
Lafayette House is a private non-profit organization serving adults, children, and families experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or substance use disorders. The organization serves 1,200 people each year from a seven-county area in southwest Missouri.
Reference:
Chelsea Conley, Development Director
Lafayette House
417.782.1772
chelseaconley@lafayettehouse.org
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