CLAREMONT — TLC Family Resource Center received a $25,000 grant in the 2018 AMP NH Awards, sponsored by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Entrepreneur’s Fund of New Hampshire Grant Program, on Tuesday, March 6.
The money will be used to help purchase a van that will allow TLC to reach more teens to teach about sexual health and relationships. The van will also help promote all the programs at TLC throughout the region.
The van will be used as part of the Sexual Health Information Network and Education (SHINE) program, which is an inclusive health enrichment program for young people, to bring medically accurate, comprehensive and inclusive sexual health information to locations throughout Sullivan County.
The AMP Grant Program is a competition for nonprofit organizations. It seeks novel, entrepreneurial, and innovative ideas to solve problems and critical issues facing New Hampshire, according to the grant’s website.
The participants submit an application then attend an AMP Grant Pitch Camp. From there, four to five finalists are chosen and assigned a mentor to help them develop a three-minute long pitch for an innovative project. Then the finalists present their pitches at an event where the audience votes on the pitches. First place received $50,000; second place received $25,000; and the remaining finalists received $5,000 each.
“The pitch process was challenging but the stakes are high to keep teens safe and we need to take action. Sullivan County’s teen birth rates are twice that of the state and reported cases of gonorrhea have gone up 250 percent.
“The SHINE program currently reaches about 75 students per year. There are 2,500 teens in Sullivan County. That’s the bad news,” said Executive Director Maggie Monroe-Cassel.
“The good news is that studies show that if teens are educated about sexual health and relationships, they wait longer to start having sex. We need to educate our teens with face-to-face conversation. Going mobile will help us reach more teens where they are.”
The goal now is to find the additional funds needed so that the SHINE van will be ready to roll in time for the SAU 6 Back-to-School Festival, which is held in Claremont just before school starts.
“We’re super excited about being able to take our prevention program’s message to the streets. It’s sure to turn heads — and so be a catalyst for some much-needed conversations about sexual health in the communities we serve,” said Liza Draper, SHINE Coordinator.
TLC Family Resource Center supports and strengthens all families, children, and youth of Sullivan and Lower Grafton counties with a wide range of free programs, support groups, education, and events. Visit www.tlcfamilyrc.org for more information about SHINE and the agency.
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