Youth Link Southern Indiana awarded Lilly Endowment $1 million grant

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Youth Link Southern Indiana has been awarded a grant of $1 million by Lilly Endowmnet Inc.

Youth Link Southern Indiana provides mental health services, academic support and basic needs resources to New Albany High School and the four school districts in Clark County.

With this grant, they plan on adding two full-time therapists to their roster, which will allow services to be extended to two additional middle schools. For students, any costs not covered by insurance will be covered by the grant.

“The $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment provides vital support for Youth Link Southern Indiana,” Youth Link Southern Indiana Executive Director Jerry Leonard said. “With this funding, we’re poised to broaden our impact and uplift the futures of local youth. We believe that by expanding our services, we can empower our students to thrive academically, physically, and socially. We are truly grateful to Lilly Endowment for their commitment to strengthening youth programs in Indiana and for recognizing the importance of our work in the community.”

Youth Link said the grant will also cover student scholarships for their day learning program and be used to raise wages for the service’s Resource Coordinators.

“Indiana’s youth-serving organizations are crucial to the healthy development of children and youth across the state,” Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education Ted Maple said. “The challenges these organizations have faced in meeting the needs of young people in recent years have made their work increasingly difficult. Lilly Endowment is pleased to support their efforts to strengthen programs and serve more youth more effectively.”

To learn more about Youth Link and their programs, click or tap here.