Dayton Children’s receives $1.77 million grant from OneOhio Recovery Foundation to support student resiliency program

Dayton Children’s Hospital is the recipient of a $1.77 million grant over two years from OneOhio Recovery Foundation to support its student resiliency coordinator program in 16 schools across the Dayton region. The funding from OneOhio will provide a critical funding need for the student resiliency program and go a long way to meet the increasing need for mental health prevention and support for students. The grant will also create additional opportunities to provide substance use screenings and brief interventions for students. This funding is the largest single grant awarded by OneOhio through its inaugural 2024 Regional Grant Cycle.

Dayton Children’s innovative student resiliency program provides resiliency development for students and families impacted by trauma by working full-time at area schools helping students build on their strengths. The goal of the program is to provide skills and tools to students, their families and school staff to support a strength-based approach that views challenges as opportunities and enhances growth and development.

“Dayton Children’s is deeply grateful to OneOhio for this transformative grant funding, which will strengthen our student resiliency program and empower young people to navigate life’s challenges with confidence and hope,” said Debbie Feldman, president and CEO of Dayton Children’s. “By investing in our children’s mental health and well-being, we’re not just supporting their success today but building a stronger, healthier community for generations to come.”

Dayton Children's student resiliency program services more than 30 schools throughout Dayton, including Mad River Local schools:

“We deeply appreciate Dayton Children's Hospital and their efforts in pursuing the OneOhio grant, which enables Mad River Local Schools to continue providing support through the student resiliency coordinator program for our students and families,” said Chad Wyen, superintendent for Mad River Local Schools. “The student resiliency coordinators have been an invaluable asset to our schools and community, and we sincerely thank Dayton Children's for their support of this vital program and OneOhio for the award.”

The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is a private, non-profit organization created at the direction of Ohio’s state and local leaders to distribute 55 percent of the funds our state will receive from the pharmaceutical industry as a consequence of its role in the national opioid epidemic. The Foundation works with local partners to support their substance use prevention, treatment and recovery efforts and invests funds to support these efforts for Ohioans into the future.

The grant received by Dayton Children’s reflects the Foundation’s commitment to supporting organizations on the frontlines of the addiction epidemic by advancing efforts that foster more resilient, healthier communities across Ohio.

“Reaching children where they are is critical to providing the support needed to live healthy lives, and OneOhio is pleased to invest in this proven program that has already helped so many young people,” said Alisha Nelson, executive director of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation. “There is a direct link between mental health and school performance, and we are confident this grant will help this program make a positive impact throughout OneOhio Region 8 for many years to come.”

OneOhio Board Member and Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Dodge added, “Dayton Children’s continued leadership to build stronger, more resilient youth is key to Montgomery County’s future. I applaud them and the schools participating in this program, and I hope it becomes a model others replicate across our state.”

This grant award is part of more than $51 million allocated by the OneOhio Recovery Foundation’s Board of Directors for the 2024 Regional Grant Cycle and was selected from more than 1,440 funding requests totaling $581 million from organizations statewide. All OneOhio grantees have been selected in a collaborative process that included input from the OneOhio Regions, Expert Panel, Grant Oversight Committee and Board of Directors.