Catalyst Fund Awards $12,500 Grant to Jordan Porco Foundation Supporting Suicide Prevention
Hartford, CT—The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain awarded the Jordan Porco Foundation (JPF) a $12,500 grant from the Catalyst Fund, a giving circle that offers an opportunity for local citizens to transform a modest gift into major community impact.
Catalyst Fund members care deeply about the communities of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, and Southington, and meet three times a year to learn about a member-chosen issue facing their community, and to consider funding requests from charitable organizations addressing that issue. The year concludes with a collective vote to award a grant to their chosen grantee. The Catalyst Fund chose the Jordan Porco Foundation as their 2020 grantee, awarding—for the first time ever—a grant over $10,000.
This grant will allow JPF to bring their 4 What’s Next program to an estimated 300 middle and high school aged youth and provide Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) training to 120 adults.
“The unfortunate demand for programming focused on suicide prevention among children and young adults is the reason why the Catalyst membership chose this topic as the focus for 2019. Among the proposals received, Jordan Porco Foundation clearly demonstrated its ability to reduce risk factors, build resiliency among young people, and build the capacity of trusted adults in order to address this very important need.” Joeline Wruck, Director of Community Initiatives and Program Services at the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain.
JPF will distribute 11 to 16 4 What’s Next licenses at no cost in 2020. 4 What’s Next is a primary prevention program that builds psychological resilience in middle and high school-aged students by giving them the tools to handle stress and distress now and in their future. 4 What’s Next meets young people where they are, developmentally, equipping them with transferable skills that can help bridge the gap between their “now” and “what’s next”.
JPF will provide QPR and postvention trainings for the communities of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville, and Southington. In QPR training, people will learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Then, the postvention trainings teach a community or organization to respond safely to a suicide death in order to prevent additional suicides and promote healing for survivors of suicide loss. This is critically important since the shock and grief of a suicide goes well beyond immediate family and friends and can ripple throughout the community affecting friends, co-workers, schools, faith communities, and more. Learn more about these trainings at this link.
“We applaud the Community Foundation’s Catalyst Fund members for their courage in addressing the growing issue of youth suicide and placing their trust in our efforts to work with their community members at all levels to help prevent it,” said Matthew Riley, Chief Operating Officer, the Jordan Porco Foundation.
About the Jordan Porco Foundation
The Jordan Porco Foundation’s mission is to prevent suicide, promote mental health, and create a message of hope for young adults. They accomplish this by providing engaging and uplifting peer-run programs. Their programs raise mental health awareness while encouraging help-seeking and supportive behaviors. The Jordan Porco Foundation is named in memory of the co-founder’s son, Jordan. Jordan died by suicide in 2011 as a college freshman. What started as two grieving parents’ vision has grown into a nationally respected Foundation that helps over 40,000 young adults across the country, each year. Learn more at www.jordanporcofoundation.org.
About the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain
Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is “Where Good Begins” in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. Located at The Foundation Center at 74A Vine Street, New Britain, the Foundation works to inspire philanthropy, responsibly manage permanent charitable assets, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership. For more information, visit www.cfgnb.org.
Contacts
Matthew Riley, Chief Operating Officer, the Jordan Porco Foundation, mriley@jordanporcofoundation.org
Rachel Papke, Director of Communications & Events, the Jordan Porco Foundation,
rpapke@jordanporcofoundation.org
