Girl Scouts of Central Illinois receives $10,000 grant from Compeer Financial’s Fund for Rural America

QUINCY — Girl Scouts of Central Illinois (GSCI) recently received a $10,000 grant from Compeer Financial’s Fund for Rural America to deliver mental health-focused outreach programming to 350 girls in rural communities throughout Adams, Brown, Hancock and Pike counties.

GSCI’s mental health outreach programming ensures that the most vulnerable youths gain access to mental health resources by intentionally addressing challenges posing a threat to girls’ mental health while building resiliency factors. The newly established mental health curriculum focuses on confidence-building, self-care, positive communication practices and encouragement.

Spanning multiple sessions, girls ages 5-17 participate in age-appropriate thematic activities such as creating and implementing anti-bullying campaigns, practicing healthy debate with those of different perspectives, building self-esteem and self-worth, developing creative ways to provide peer encouragement and support and creating hygiene self-care kits.

“With rural areas facing notable mental health challenges and girls across our country facing similar challenges, we know that these young women are most in need of early mental health supports,” Jennifer Sedbrook, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, said in a press release.

“Girl Scouts has a century-long history of providing those resources and rising to meet the unique needs of girls in every community. With an intentionally-designed mental health curriculum — meeting girls directly in their community — we can collaborate with schools, other youth organizations, and Compeer Financial to ensure that rural communities, and the girls that call them home, have futures that flourish.”

Outreach programming is delivered on-site at area schools and community sites eliminating the need for transportation. Programming is delivered free of cost to both the girls being served and the collaborative partner sites.

Girl Scouts of Central Illinois (GSCI) serves over 10,000 girls and 2,000 adult members in 38 counties throughout central Illinois. To join, volunteer, reconnect or support Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, visit GetYourGirlPower.org or call 888-623-1237. 

The Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America is the corporate giving program of Compeer Financial, structured to support Compeer Financial’s mission to enrich agriculture and rural America. Compeer Financial’s board of directors has dedicated one percent of annual net earnings to support the fund’s focus areas of agriculture education, youth engagement, rural development and community enrichment, agricultural advocacy and development, and cooperative initiatives.