Davis Foundation Awards $50,000 to Mental Health Assoc.

SPRINGFIELD — The Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation awarded a $50,000 operating support grant to assist in the work of the Mental Health Assoc. (MHA) serving some of the most disadvantaged members of the community: individuals impacted by mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use, brain injuries, and homelessness.

“We greatly appreciate the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation’s generous support that will help us continue to provide the residential and support services that MHA has been providing for over 60 years,” said Jennifer Ducharme, MHA’s vice president of Development & Community Relations.

MHA has developed an extensive continuum of trauma-informed wrap-around services responding to a variety of needs. Each year, MHA must raise necessary resources from community-minded businesses, individuals, and foundations to provide crucial supports such as furniture and furnishings, clothing, and bedding for individuals transitioning into programs and out into their own independent living; behavioral-health services; educational and social-enrichment activities for program residents; and clothing and personal hygiene items for individuals coming to MHA with little more than the clothes on their backs.

MHA’s mission is to provide residential and support services that promote independence, community engagement, mental and physical wellness, and recovery for people with disabilities and other vulnerable individuals.

“The Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation grant will help MHA to continue offering vital support,” Ducharme said. “MHA sincerely appreciates the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation’s continued support of the work we do at MHA.”