May 26, 2021 – Sarasota
New College Foundation recently received a $20,500 Equity and Access Grant through the James Franklin Warnell & Dorothy J. Warnell Fund and the McCauley-Brown Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The Community Foundation’s Equity and Access Grants support programs that serve local populations facing systemic barriers to education and health care services. The funds will be directed to increasing mental health access for LGBTQ+ and other minority students at New College by offering after-hours care through the college’s Counseling and Wellness Center.
According to Dr. Anne E. Fisher, Ph.D., L.P., the director of the Counseling and Wellness Center at New College, access to after-hours care is “vitally needed to meet the needs of our LGBTQ+ students as it offers support during times that the center is not available. Importantly, these services will be offered not only to students who live on campus but to those who live off campus or are not on campus during times of crisis.”
Fisher explains that, nationally, the demand for mental health services at college counseling centers has been on the rise.
“For many students, college is the first time they have the autonomy to make their own choices about their health and wellness. It’s often the first time that they feel safe enough to explore their identity and to seek help to work through past traumas,” says Fisher. “The Counseling and Wellness Center is committed to being a safe space for our students, and this grant is truly a bright spot because it allows us to provide 24-hour access and support to our students, particularly those marginalized by others as are students on the LGBTQ+ continuum. We are so grateful to the Community Foundation for its support and solidarity.”
For more information about this grant or the New College Foundation, call 941-487-4800 or visit https://www.ncf.edu/alumni-and-friends/the-foundation/.
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