Alaska telecommunications company GCI has announced $100,000 in donations to support nine suicide prevention efforts across the state. Two village organizations in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region will receive some of that money.
(Photo by Dean Swope, KYUK – Bethel)
GCI’s Suicide Prevention Grant program partnered with the Alaska Community Foundation, which was established in 1995 as a grant distribution center, to administer the donations. According to a Wednesday press release, GCI decided to launch their new program earlier this year in response to suicide rates in the state being twice the national average.
The Native Village of Paimute will get $15,000 for local leaders to attend training, and the Native Village of Tununak will get $9,500 dollars to fund more activities for youth in their village.
Organizers reviewed over 40 applicants through a strict review process; awards ranged from $5,000 – $15,000.
The goal of the grant program is to fund promising new programs, and to help successful programs reach more people in need.
Charles Enoch is a reporter at KYUK in Bethel.
