Rutland Regional Announces Vermont Prevention Lead Organization Grant Recipients in Rutland & Addison Counties

RUTLAND, VT – Rutland Regional Medical Center (RRMC) is pleased to announce the selection of second round sub-grant recipients of the Region 2 Vermont Prevention Lead Organization (VPLO) grant funds. The Region 2 service area includes Addison and Rutland Counties. The sub-grants will enhance and expand prevention efforts throughout the region, for all substances and populations, from July 2024 to June 2025.

Sub-grant recipients are as follows:

• Come Alive Outside: Will be offering a free collaborative community event called Winterfest, which will engage and provide leadership opportunities for local teens.
• Companions in Wholeness: Will be offering meals and a safe space for Rutland’s unhoused population.
• Elderly Services Inc.: Will be offering caregivers and the elderly opportunities for social connections, learning opportunities, and services from counseling to respite.
• Rutland County Pride Center: Will be offering Rutland County a safe and affirming space for the LGBTQIA2S+ community. The Rutland County Pride Center will be offering a Queer book club for Adults, a Queer book club for youth, Queer Co-working hours, and population specific support groups through community collaborations with mental health and substance use providers/services.
• The Boys and Girls Club of Rutland County: Will be offering Rutland teens a safe space to go after school to hangout, work on homework/job/college readiness, make connections, and access resources.
• The MINT Makerspace: Will be offering creative and exploratory programming for middle school students through community collaborations and craft/makers classes.
• Turning Point Center of Addison County: Will provide community outreach for recovery and education throughout the county. The Turning Point Center of Addison County will be providing peer recovery coaching, recovery support services for all ages and populations, while partnering with local law enforcement and EMS first responders.

The MINT is looking forward to using the grant to engage with middle school youth during the after school hours, providing a creative and social space in their satellite location on Merchants Row.

"Our satellite location on Merchants Row is well-sited to engage with middle school students during after school hours," said Kim Griffin, Executive Director of the MINT. "We are gearing up to provide creative, responsive, entrepreneurial programming and we can't wait to show the community – and the students themselves – what they are capable of!”

Turning Point of Addison County will be using their funds to extend their mission and work on prevention over the next six months.

"We are grateful and humbled by this vote of confidence in our work," said Danielle Wallace, Executive Director of the Turning Point Center of Addison County. "We see every day the essential role prevention can play in the health of our community.”

Another grantee, Elderly Services, Inc., is using the grant to address loneliness and the challenges of aging among Addison County residents.

“Most people feel they just have to suffer with loneliness and the challenges of aging and caring for aging relatives until they reach a crisis,” said Kristin Bolton, Executive Director of Elderly Services, Inc. (ESI). “When they feel they can no longer manage the situation, they increase their risk for unhealthy behaviors and poor health outcomes. This grant will help us provide support for people before they reach a crisis.”

As the Prevention Lead, Rutland Regional Medical Center is guiding substance use prevention activities and sub-grant funds to community partners located in Addison and Rutland counties. RRMC and its dedicated partners are committed to continuing to expand and enhance the efforts to address substance use among all ages while addressing barriers and gaps in services.