Together with the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation and Waccamaw Community Foundation, Coastal Community Foundation is launching the Culture of Care pilot program aimed at addressing mental wellness in the nonprofit sector throughout the foundations’ combined nine-county service region of Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry and Jasper counties.
The Culture of Care pilot program’s goal is to address the needs of nonprofit grantees in coastal South Carolina by providing access to virtual therapy, emphasizing the importance of self-care and normalizing the conversation about mental health for those working in the regional nonprofit sector.
The foundations will distribute 1,000 one-year licenses from Talkspace to nonprofit grantees at no cost to them. Through the app, staff and volunteers will have access to mental health services via text, audio and video. The Talkspace app is completely confidential, HIPPA compliant, secure and clinically proven.
Many nonprofit employees and volunteers often face burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma from their work. The pandemic introduced new, additional challenges and pressures that have taken a significant toll on the mental well-being of nonprofit employees – further illustrating the need for more support.
“During the pandemic, foundation staff noticed that while there was conversation around mental health in general, there was very little conversation about the pandemic’s impact on nonprofit employees,” said Veronica Hemmingway, Southern Lowcountry Director at Coastal Community Foundation. “Through the Culture of Care pilot program, we hope to show nonprofit employees that they are valued while providing the necessary mental health services to support them.”
