Child Guidance Center Receives $50,000 Grant from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation

The Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut (CGC) was awarded a $50,000 grant from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation in support of their work to improve the mental and behavioral health of children and teens through treatment, education, and community support. The grant was made in partnership with a donor-advised fundholder of the Community Foundation.

Last year, CGC served over 3,300 children, birth to 18 years old, and their families in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, and New Canaan. Children supported by CGC struggle with a broad range of challenges such as depression, anxiety, trauma, cutting, and suicidal thoughts. Many of the children CGC’s clinicians treat have endured multiple types of victimization and maltreatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect before ever seeking services. Timely access to care is critical for these children to ensure that they overcome their difficult circumstances— and with FCCF’s funding, CGC can continue to provide immediate support for these youth and their families.

“With looming state budget cuts and an increased need for youth mental health services in our community, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s support couldn’t have come at a better time,” stated CGC’s President and CEO, Eliot Brenner, PhD. “We never turn a child away due their family’s financial circumstance. Of the children we serve, 88% come from low-income families, while 99% require a subsidy from our agency to offset the cost of services. The Community Foundation’s support helps us cover the cost of providing critical mental health care to our area’s high risk youth.”

About Fairfield County’s Community Foundation

Fairfield County’s Community Foundation promotes philanthropy as a means to create change in Fairfield County, focusing on innovative and collaborative solutions to critical issues impacting the community. Individuals, families, corporations, and organizations can establish charitable funds or contribute to existing funds. The Community Foundation is in compliance with the Council on Foundations’ national standards, and has awarded over $207 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond. For more information, visit www.fccfoundation.org.

About the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut

Established in 1954, CGC is dedicated to improving the mental and behavioral health of children and teens through treatment, education, and community support. CGC serves children, from birth to 18, and their families in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien and New Canaan. If you would like to get help for a child or learn more about CGC’s mental health services, please call (203) 324-6127 or visit www.childguidancect.org. CGC is on social media at www.facebook.com/childguidancect and www.twitter.com/cgcct.