Resilient WilCo Awarded $20K Grant For Stress-Mitigating Work

AUSTIN, TX — The Williamson County and Cities Health District has been awarded a $20,000 grant for its work helping to mitigate the impact of toxic stress amid the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday.

The grant is recognition for the health district's work with Resilient WilCo, a group that is part of the Healthy Williamson County coalition. The grant was awarded by United Way of Greater Austin and the Austin Community Foundation as part $3.5 million All Together ATX grant funds, officials explained.

The fund created in response to the coronavirus pandemic has raised $7.7 million to local nonprofit organizations since it was established at the end of March.

“While this relief effort has served its purpose in responding to immediate needs in our region, Austin Community Foundation and United Way for Greater Austin will continue to incorporate COVID-19 relief into our philanthropic work into 2021 and beyond,” Mike Nellis, CEO of Austin Community Foundation, said in a prepared statement. “The disruption and economic consequences of the pandemic will be felt for years to come, which is why continued giving and support for local nonprofits will be critical for our community to fully recover.”

Resilient Wilco provides training, consultation and trauma-informed support to local organizations working to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences toward building a more resilient future for our communities. The funds will be used to purchase educational materials and self-regulation tools to build and distribute Resilience Kits to families in Williamson County.

“We are grateful to receive this funding to support the great work of our Resilient WilCo team,” said Kelli McGuire, the health district's community partnerships manager and coordinator of the Healthy Williamson County coalition, said in a prepared statement. "This funding allows our team to reach out to the community to share information about building resilience at home. It is now more important than ever that we support families during this difficult time."

Core partners of the Resilient WilCo team are Bluebonnet Trails Community Services, Williamson County Juvenile Services, Georgetown Health Foundation, The Georgetown Project, Williamson County and Cities Health District and local community advocates.

Visit the All Together ATX page for more information. Visit the Resilient WilCo page for more details.