Changemaker Health Grants Announced

We are pleased to announce our 2018 Changemaker Health Grants awards totaling nearly $430,000. Changemaker Health Grants are designed for programs that produce measurable improvements in the areas of Healthy Living, Active Living and Healthy Child Development.

These grants support innovative, collaborative and evidenced-based strategies that will transform the health of our communities. The five awarded grants include:

• Jefferson County Head Start/Cesa #2, $200,000 for Tiered Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, to expand and sustain tiered Mental Health Consultation by allowing greater on-site access to clinically trained early childhood mental health consultants for children and families. The focus on mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention provides children with increased opportunity for improved academic outcomes, occupational success, and lifelong health.
• The City of Watertown, $100,000 for Carriage Hill Shared Use Path Phase 2, to install a concrete path east of Carriage Hill Drive and adjacent to the Watertown High School and Maranatha Baptist University properties. The path will connect to the completed phase one project at Mary Knoll Lane and continue south to West Main Street. Phase I of the Carriage Hill Drive Shared-Use Path was made possible through a 2017 grant from GWCHF.
• Friends of Dodge County Parks, $10,000 for Gold Star Memorial Trail - Phase 2 Feasibility, to determine a desired route and develop detailed cost estimates for construction of an approximate 15 mile trail connection between the City of Mayville and the City of Beaver Dam. The trail is intended for non-motorized use, primarily biking and hiking, and will provide opportunities for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter months.
• Jefferson County Parks, $100,000 for Jefferson County Interurban Trail Phase I, to complete bridge construction over the Rock River. When completed, the three-phase, 11 mile trail will connect the cities of Watertown and Oconomowoc and provide off-road recreation for bicyclists, walkers, runners, skate boards, roller-blades and cross country skiing.
• Dodge County Human Services and Health Department, $20,000 for Incredible Years, an evidence-based parent education program that focuses on "at risk" families. The program is designed to strengthen parent-child interactions which promote emotional, social, and academic competence and prevent, reduce, and treat behavioral and emotional problems in young children.

The majority of our investments come from Strategic Grants initiated by us, based upon the needs of the community and the momentum of community partners. Through large Strategic Grants we are able to strengthen the efforts of our partners by creating multi-sector partnerships and bringing national-level best practices to their work.

The priorities of GWCHF strategic initiatives are:

• Reducing the rates of child abuse and neglect and chronic school absenteeism
• Increasing kindergarten readiness, third grade reading proficiency, youth physical activity and youth access to nutritious foods
• Improving the social and emotional health of children and those who care for them

Since inception in September, 2017, the foundation has invested more than $3.2 million in health enhancement initiatives across Dodge and Jefferson Counties. To learn more about the GWCHF and our supported initiatives, visit www.watertownhealthfoundation.com or Facebook at Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation.