(Decatur County, IN) – The Decatur County Community Foundation (DCCF) has received a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through the Community Leadership Implementation Grants component of the eighth phase of its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII) initiative.
DCCF’s grant is one of 30 implementation grants awarded through GIFT VIII. The GIFT program is a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative designed to support community foundations and partners working to strengthen the quality of life for the people they serve.
DCCF will use the funds to partner with local entities to address the lack of mental health resources in the community.
The Decatur County Sheriff’s Office and Jail Commander Mike Eggleston have already begun implementing an internationally recognized Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) program, and now Eggleston will lead a grant-funded effort to identify additional existing mental health resources and determine what can be enhanced through this award.
He currently leads a committee of partners including the Community Healthcare Clinic, Board of Health, schools, Decatur County Memorial Hospital, Court Services and a handful of others.
“This is such a huge blessing to our community. Working with Mike (Eggleston) and the other people around the table to develop readily available resources to address the broad spectrum of mental health issues has been eye-opening,” said DCCF Executive Director Tami Wenning. “Knowing we’ve been awarded $5 million to use towards getting these measures in place is a game-changer!”
The Decatur County Community Foundation, established in 1992 with help from a challenge grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
Wenning says this GIFT VIII opportunity presents opportunities.
“We were excited about the match opportunity and the response of the local community to meet that challenge,” said Wenning. “Receiving notice that we were being awarded the opportunity to pursue our mental health project is just the best possible icing on the cake!”
In 1990, Lilly Endowment launched the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative to help establish and further develop community foundations throughout Indiana.
