KINGSPORT ‚¬- Kingsport City Schools is seeking input regarding possible school partnership opportunities with mental health services, juvenile court and community organizations.

The school system is currently developing an application for the federal Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems competition. This program provides grants of up to $400,000 for the purpose of increasing student access to quality mental health care by developing innovative programs that link school systems with local mental health systems.

As part of the grant application, Kingsport City Schools is asking parents, staff, and community members to complete a brief survey offered at www.k12k.com. The survey contains three brief questions, asking participants to submit ideas as to how to best serve students.

For more information, contact KCS Grant Writer Ginger Keller-Ferguson at (423) 378-4056.

-KCS-

Kingsport, TN ‚¬ The Kingsport Community Foundation, an Affiliate Fund of East Tennessee Foundation (ETF), announces the recipients of the 2010 Kingsport Community Foundation grant program. Eleven nonprofit organizations are being awarded grants totaling $15,010 to support programs and projects to improve the community. The grant recipients will be honored at a reception on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 in the Gallery at the Renaissance Center from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The 2010 recipients have proposed a vast array of opportunities for citizen engagement in the following areas: arts and culture, education and literacy, and/or health and wellness. Grantee organizations will provide programs and activities which are inclusive in practice and extend opportunities for participation to underserved citizens.

Grants from the Kingsport Community Foundation have been awarded to the following: Arts Council for Greater Kingsport; Friends of Steele Creek Nature Center and Park; Frontier Health; Kingsport Chamber Foundation, Inc.; Literacy Council of Kingsport; National Kidney Foundation Serving East Tennessee; Netherland Inn Association, Inc.; Of One Accord, Inc. (fiscal sponsor for The Horse Affect); Rivers Way Outdoor Adventure Center; Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee; and Small Miracles Theraputic Horseback Riding Center, Inc. For further grant recipient information, please see provided list.

The Kingsport Community Foundation was founded in 2000 through gifts from local donors and a matching grant from the East Tennessee Foundation. The Kingsport Community Foundation is a philanthropic organization, governed by a local board of directors. Its mission is to help donors maximize their contributions to the community by awarding grants that enrich lives and strengthen the greater Kingsport community forever. To date, Kingsport Community Foundation has awarded over $59,000 to organizations that meet the requirements and fulfill the goals of the fund.

The East Tennessee Foundation, established in 1986, is a regional community foundation serving 25 counties in East Tennessee. It administers 12 Affiliate Funds, including the Kingsport Community Foundation.

For more information please contact Terry L. Holley via phone at (865) 524-1223, toll-free at 1-877-524-1223 or e-mail at tholley@etf.org.

To view a list of the 2010 Kingsport Community Foundation Grant recipients click here.