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Advancing Community wellness in the Coachella Valley

Desert Healthcare District awards $550K to nonprofit services for Coachella Valley residents

December 20, 2023 - District Staff

Four nonprofit organizations that serve the Coachella Valley received good news Tuesday, Dec. 19, from the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation. During the agency's monthly Board meeting, the Directors approved $550,941 in new grants.



 




The funds will benefit valley residents through a range of services, including counseling and mental health support for vulnerable children and their families over two years.

 

 

"Our December grant awards reflect the diversity and scope of the District's work in the valley," interim CEO Chris Christensen said. "These grants honor our commitment to optimize health at all stages of life."


 

 

The grant recipients are:



  


  • Grant #1403, Vision to Learn - $50,000. Since 2012, the organization has provided vision screenings, exams and eyeglasses to valley schoolchildren at no cost. This grant award supports its mobile clinic visits to area schools. "It's a wonderful organization," Desert Healthcare District and Foundation Board Director Carole Rogers said Tuesday. "I'm so happy we're supporting it." About Vision to Learn.
  • Grant #1419, Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, aka LifeStream - $104,650. Though it celebrates a 72nd anniversary in 2023, LifeStream continues to seek new donors. Supporting that effort, this grant award will be used for Spanish-language and LGBTQ+ campaign materials and project expenses, and for the full salary of a Coachella Valley Hispanic Community Outreach Ambassador. More on LifeStream.
  • Grant #1420, Braille Institute - $36,697. The institute serves more than 12,000 children, teens and adults across Southern California. The grant funds will contribute to the salary of the low vision specialist. They also will be used to provide magnifiers and digital optical devices to clients, as well as cover telehealth expenses. More on the Braille Institute.
  • Grant #1421, Olive Crest - $359,594. For 22 years, Olive Crest has worked to prevent child abuse in the valley through strengthening, equipping and restoring children and families in crisis. More than 600 local children have benefitted. This grant funds part of the salaries for behavioral health specialists, facilitators, a program manager, and parent partners. It also will help cover travel and other work-related expenses for staff. About Olive Crest.







 

Desert Healthcare District and Foundation Board Directors and staff congratulated all grantees Tuesday, with Director Leticia De Lara acknowledging their work on behalf of the District. She added, "It's great to be able to serve our community."

 



Learn more about the District's grants program at dhcd.org.

  


 

Media contact: Will Dean, director of communications and marketing, at wdean@dhcd.org.

 



About the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation

 

The Desert Healthcare District is a local government agency formed in 1948. Its mission is to achieve optimal health at all stages of life for all District residents. The District includes more than 400,000 residents and encompasses the entire Coachella Valley. The District and Desert Healthcare Foundation, together, are one of the largest funders in the valley. These funds are used to assist residents — especially the underserved — in accessing vitally needed resources, such as primary and behavioral healthcare.