CONCORD UNIVERSITY STUDENT AWARDED A YOUTH EMPOWERMENT GRANT
CONTACT: Amy Pitzer
Concord University
Office of Advancement
PO Box 1000, Athens, WV 24712
(304) 384-5211
pitzer@concord.edu
www.concord.edu
AUGUST 10, 2023
ATHENS, W.Va. – Concord University is excited to announce that student Taylor Brown has been awarded a $7,500 grant through the Marshall University Research Corporation’s Behavioral Health Outreach Initiative as the Concord University Student Leader for College Strategic Prevention Framework-Partnership for Success.
Taylor wrote and applied for a grant to utilize an otherwise empty space on campus and transform it into a space that will host weekly Prevention and Recovery Organization meetings. “We plan to fill the space with places to sit, a desk, storage compartments, a bulletin board, office supplies, flyers and other physical forms of resources, as well as information and items on harm reduction, tabling supplies and incentives for events,” Brown stated.
In addition to creating this space for the organization, it will be available to all students on campus as a place to take a mental health break/study/obtain resources related to substance use, prevention, mental health, and ways to get involved as a youth in prevention.
Brown went on to say, “Originally, the award was written for us to receive up to $5,000 and I assumed I would end up receiving funding in the $3,500-$4,000 ballpark, if any. I was totally shocked and elated whenever I not only got approval for the project, but also received additional funding for up to $7,500!”
Brown spent weeks talking with people at Concord University about finding a space and transforming the space into something all students will utilize and feel comfortable in. She expects to start purchasing items for the space and moving into it soon.
Concord University’s Associate Professor of Social Work, and Taylor’s mentor for the C-SPF project, Angela Fedele, was notified of Taylor’s award on July 31st. “Taylor’s enthusiasm, creativity, and knowledge have been evident in her performance as CU’s student leader with the C-SPF Partnership. We are very lucky to have her on our Prevention and Recovery team,” Fedele said.
Brown finished by saying, “I’m starting my senior year this Fall, so I am honored to have the opportunity to create such a large youth-led project that will benefit students who attend Concord even after I graduate in the Spring.”
Youth Empowerment Project service agreements are with the Center of Excellence for Recovery at the Marshall University Research Corporation funded with FY 2022 Congressional Directive Spending Projects grant funds. You can find more information about the Collegiate Strategic Prevention Framework-Partnership for Success (C-SPF) at muprevention.org
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