Louisville, KY (February 14, 2020) – The Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence (JHFE) has awarded the Bounce Coalition a grant to provide training and support to several of Louisville’s adolescent residential services over the next two years. Bounce will partner with Uspiritus, Boys and Girls Haven, St. Joseph Children’s Home, and the on-campus Jefferson County Public Schools serving these agencies to become self-sustaining, trauma-informed organizations – serving children and families through healing-centered, trauma-informed policies and practices. 

Across the country, there is growing recognition of trauma’s profound negative impact on the health and well-being of children and adults. Exposure to abuse, neglect, systemic discrimination, and violence increases the risk for poor health outcomes throughout life. Yet it is possible to foster resilience, equipping people with the tools to effectively respond to adversity and bounce back. Using Bounce’s resiliency-building training resources and evidence-based model, the JHFE grant of $177,000 supports a series of “Bounce University” train-the-trainer workshops, technical support, and the facilitation of an inter-agency Bounce Learning Collaborative.

"The Bounce Coalition and all of the participating agencies are committed to delivering trauma-informed care to the youth we serve," said Dr. David Finke, PhD., Vice President of Residential Services at Uspiritus and Co-Chair of The Bounce Coalition. "And it will build our capacity to meet new requirements mandated by the Family First Prevention Services Act requiring youth-serving residential facilities to incorporate an evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment model and to sustain best practices over time."

"JHFE believes in the strength and promise of youth. We are proud to support the Bounce Coalition and partner residential facilities in their work to ensure youth in care are provided the supports they need to overcome adversity and thrive," Jeff Polson, Executive Director, Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence.

As a result of this project, Uspiritus, Boys and Girls Haven, and St. Joseph Children’s Home will establish evidence-based trauma-informed care models and staff training that support the transformation of Kentucky’s child welfare system.