A program that offers students mental health and resiliency resources plus healthy foods in Sanger, Texas will soon be making its way to a southeast Fort Worth high school.
The THRIVE North Texas program (Together Harnessing Resources to Give Individuals Voice and Empowerment) will be implemented this fall at O.D. Wyatt High School in the Fort Worth Independent School District, according to a press release. This expansion was made possible by the generosity of donors to the Texas Health Resources Foundation, including its lead supporter Aetna.
This initiative is being headed up by the Texas Health Resources Foundation to expand THRIVE North Texas into eight other schools across the region by the end of 2024, including in Dallas and Terrell, through fundraising. The goal of the program is to teach resiliency skills to children to help them overcome trauma and improve their physical and mental health while also giving students and their families access to healthy foods.
The 76119 ZIP code was identified as disproportionally experiencing health challenges and food insecurity through Texas Health Resources’ 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment. The study indicates that this area has a higher prevalence of high blood pressure and diabetes than the city overall, and residents’ per capita income is less than half of the state and DFW metro averages.
“We know children do better in school and throughout life when they are equipped with the resources, support, and coping skills to help carry them through adversity and when they’re not worried about when their next meal will come,” says Catherine Oliveros, DrPH, vice president of Community Health Improvement for Texas Health. “We have seen the wonderful impact this program has had in Sanger and are excited to now bring it to other campuses in North Texas.”
THRIVE was implemented in Sanger ISD in 2019 through the first of two Texas Health Community Impact grants awarded to the school district in partnership with First Refuge Ministries, First Baptist Church of Sanger, and the city of Sanger. The grants funded resiliency skills training and support services, including counseling and low-cost or free medical and mental health care from First Refuge.
The funding also helped establish two food pantries — one through First Refuge and the second through a unique student-operated food market inside Linda Tutt High School, at which youth can practice their learned skills while addressing food insecurity. A community garden started with the second grant helps stock the pantries with fresh produce while also serving as an agricultural learning environment for students. Texas Health Resources Foundation began a fundraising campaign in 2021 to expand the program beyond Sanger. To date, the foundation has raised more than $1.64 million of its $2.6 million goal.
“This amazing program is only one of the many ways Texas Health Resources has demonstrated its commitment to addressing the needs of our students, teachers and the Fort Worth community,” says Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Angélica M. Ramsey. “It is inspiring to see they genuinely care for our students and their well-being, and that makes all the difference.”
