Student, Immigrant Health Care Aided By New Grants In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Healthy Lakewood Foundation has issued three new grants to improve community health.

The grants specifically provide care for students, families and immigrants and refugees. The largest grant will go to Ohio Guidestone to bolster mental health services in the Lakewood City Schools.

“We’re all aware of the mental health challenges the pandemic has created for children and adolescents,” said Foundation President Jeanine Gergel. “We believe this grant to OhioGuidestone will create more equitable access to needed services for Lakewood students and will help teachers and school staff be equipped to address students’ behavioral health needs.”

Here's a breakdown on the latest round of grants:

• $58,063 to OhioGuidestone to provide wraparound student mental health support in Lakewood City Schools;
• $15,000 to the Lakewood City Schools for the Coordinated Care Project to offer individualized support to families experiencing barriers to meeting their basic needs; and
• $15,00 to Asian Services in Action, Inc. (ASIA) for COVID-related relief for Lakewood residents who are immigrants or refugees.

Gergel said the other two grants are meant to bolster protections for Lakewood's vulnerable communities, particularly in the wake of increased racism against Asian Americans.

“We are committed to those in our community most affected by injustice,” Gergel said. “We stand for equity and denounce racism. The pandemic has exposed the AAPI community to challenges that others have not faced in the same way. Our grant to ASIA will help our refugee and immigrant neighbors with access to food, assistance with tax preparation and benefits enrollment, and translation services, among other needs.”