Butte Strong Fund to help schools keep counselors

CHICO » The North Valley Community Foundation’s Butte Strong Fund has approved grants to keep Butte County schools staffed with counselors for the remainder of the school year.

According to a press release from the North Valley Community Foundation, a grant approved from the Butte Strong Fund on Friday will provide $358,142 to the Butte County Office of Education. The grant will help continue the efforts of the Trauma Response and Recovery Project.

After the Camp Fire, a grant from the Butte Strong Fund formed the Trauma Response and Recovery Project through the Butte County Office of Education. The project allowed for more counselors to be available to Butte County schools for students, staff and families. A total of 15 counselors and two coordinators operate to serve the schools.

A $ 50,000 grant was also approved by the Butte Strong Fund for the Paradise Service Center. The grant will pay for the building used for the Paradise Service Center, which is a satellite office for the Butte County Department of Behavioral Health and the Department of Employment and Social Services. The center provides adult mental health services, social support, employment and eligibility services, disaster case management and counseling.

According to the release, the North Valley Community Foundation has awarded more than $ 36 million for community recovery through the Butte Strong Fund, Camp Fire Relief Fund and donor- designated funds.

The Butte Strong Fund is led by the North Valley Community Foundation with fundraising partners in Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.