On May 18, the members of Hope to Health presented a check for $56,160 designated for the ASPIRE (After-School Program Interventions and Resiliency Education) program to representatives of El Camino Hospital’s behavioral health services department. The intensive, multi-week outpatient therapy program for youth and young adults experiencing anxiety, depression or other symptoms of a mental health condition, was initially created for high school students in response to the cluster of teen suicides that occurred in Palo Alto in 2009. With the support of Hope to Health and other donors, El Camino Hospital has since expanded the program, adding a second track for high school students in Los Gatos, additional tracks tailored for middle school students and post-high school transition-age youth (18-25), and a preparatory track for youth whose symptoms are too severe for the standard curriculum. This latest Hope to Health grant will fund an education resource center that provides information to parents in the community on such topics as managing technology and bullying. In addition, the resource center coordinator will facilitate ongoing support groups for parents of ASPIRE graduates.
Hope to Health is a philanthropic council of El Camino Hospital Foundation that raises funds to benefit the health of women and families through programs at El Camino Hospital. Members pool their annual donations to maximize the impact of their gifts and then vote on the program they wish to support. Once a year they hear back from their grantees to learn how their investment has been used. They also participate in several social and educational programs throughout the year. To learn more, contact Kirsten Krimsley at 650-988-4189 or kirsten_krimsley@elcaminohealth.org.
