Chautauqua Striders, a local nonprofit agency that provides services to Chautauqua County youth, has received a $100,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, a private charitable foundation that provides funding for healthcare and health-related initiatives in New York state.

Chautauqua Striders was founded in 1979 as a local track club and has since developed into a multifaceted community organization. Chautauqua Striders’ mission is to “mentor and guide youth through education, advocacy, and athletics.” The agency offers tutoring, mentoring, and athletic programs that help youth achieve their academic, personal, and athletic goals. For more information, visit chqstriders.org.

The grant will support Chautauqua Striders’ mentoring and social and emotional learning programs, which aim to help youth graduate high school inspired with the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to be successful in the future. The mentoring program matches youth with caring adult mentors who serve as positive role models, provide guidance and support, and help expose youth to new opportunities. The SEL program incorporates an evidence-based curriculum that foster the development of social and emotional competencies, such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

“The funding support being provided by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation allows us to sustain and build upon our current programming,” said Jen Swan-Leuze, Chautauqua Striders executive director. “We hope to recruit more mentors and continue to meet the needs of students who could benefit from additional support throughout their childhood and adolescence.”

The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of vulnerable communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. Named after a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor, the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation funds programs and initiatives across New York State that either provide direct healthcare services or address the social determinants of health. For more information, visit www.cabrinihealth.org.

“To complement its statewide grantmaking efforts and improve the health of underserved and vulnerable New Yorkers in a truly impactful way, this year the Foundation is continuing its commitment to strategic, long-term grants to address key issues of health equity and access as they impact low-income and vulnerable populations,” said Kathryn Connerton, president and CEO of Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton and chair of the foundation’s Statewide Grants Committee overseeing strategic grants.