Local Organizations Collaborate for Impact

Posted: Jan 18 2023
The Minot Area Community Foundation (MACF), Westlie Motor Company, and Power of the Purse have collaborated to make a $20,000 gift to the Northern Plains Children’s Advocacy Center (NPCAC) possible. These funds will go towards the creation of a group therapy room.
 
The idea came together this past Fall when NPCAC identified the need for a group therapy room. Power of the Purse stepped up with an initial gift of $5,000 which was then matched by Westlie Motor Company. The final $10,000 was made possible by the PPREP Community Foundation Disaster Fund, a project of the Funders Network, which the Minot Area Community Foundation is a part of.
 
“This is a great opportunity to partner with one of our Giving Circles and a well-known, locally owned business to leverage philanthropic and private funds to make a significant impact towards addressing the increased need for mental health services in our area youth,” said Jason Zimmerman, President of The Minot Area Community Foundation.
 
NPCAC has seen a 52% increase in clients who need services since 2020; the waiting list for services has grown with children having to wait up to 3 months to begin treatment. In response to the rising need of mental health services, clinicians worked to identify the common problems children of various age groups sought treatment for. By providing group therapy in additional to individual therapy, they can serve more children, shorten, or ameliorate their waitlists, and reduce the length of time children are in treatment.
“Group therapy is an opportunity for children who have experienced trauma to meet, share their stories, and receive support and education together.  Their mental health is a priority to ensure a better future for them and having the space to do that is critical” states Christal Halseth, Executive Director of NPCAC. “We are very fortunate to be a part of a community who is invested in the lives of our children and who will come together to ensure our children have every opportunity to heal.  It shows them they are cared for and allows us to provide the services they need.”
The NPCAC provides a compassionate and effective way to bring services to children who are victimized by abuse. This public-private collaboration significantly reduces the trauma associated with reporting child abuse and holds offenders accountable.

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About the Community Foundation Disaster Response Fund, a project of the Funders Network: The Minot Area Community Foundation is part of the PPREP cohort, drawn from a 10-state Midwestern group. PPREP, which stands for Philanthropic Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Partnership, was created to provide resources for community foundations to build their skills and leadership capacity in order to be better informed and prepared should a disaster strike their community.