For many of us, the warming temperatures and brighter days of spring breathe new life into our dreams for the future. At Spurwink, we also know that for many, dreaming of the future can be a challenge when immediate circumstances seem insurmountable. Spurwink is proudly supported by the Marr-Anderson Family Foundation, who understands that encouraging individuals to fulfill their dreams means offering compassionate support during difficult times when one’s dreams may be put on hold. Through their support of Spurwink’s Outpatient and Community Services Access to Care and Basic Needs Fund, the Marr-Anderson Family Foundation provides behavioral health and education services for children, adults, and families in Maine.
Spurwink’s goal for the Access to Care and Basic Needs Fund is to remove the barriers to beginning or continuing treatment. Basic needs such as secure housing, food, medication, clothing, or transportation can impede or prevent access to mental or behavioral health care. These needs are urgent, and targeted funds allow us to solve problems and keep treatment plans on track. The Access to Care and Basic Needs Fund can also support treatment plans by helping students to access things they need to feel connected to their school and community, including school supplies, instruments for music lessons, or tickets to school events.
Through supporting the Access to Care and Basic Needs Fund, the Marr-Anderson Family Foundation is promoting education and health in our communities in a number of ways, including:
In 2022, funding from the Marr-Anderson Foundation supported 205 Maine children and families in making progress toward treatment goals, improving their mental and behavioral health, and increasing their community functioning and overall stability. The fund enabled 16 individuals and families to receive necessary care, through assistance with MaineCare and Katie Beckett waiver applications, co-pays, or covering the costs of needed services when families were experiencing gaps in coverage, and 189 individuals and families to have urgent needs met, keeping their treatment plans on track.
Examples of this assistance include:
- Bus tickets for a family to visit their child in residential care in New Hampshire.
- Supplementing a scholarship for a client to attend a MECA program.
- Grocery gift cards for a family experiencing homelessness and food insecurity who have difficulty accessing pantries due to a lack of transportation.
- Security deposits for a family who was at risk for homelessness. The apartment has helped stabilize the family allowing them to access mental health supports and making progress with the children needs in the home.
- Gift card to supplement the purchase of a laptop for a caretaker in the adoption process who needs to complete trainings and classes pertinent to maintaining foster licensure and telehealth sessions. The laptop also allowed the client to complete schoolwork and for the caretaker to join a parent support group online.
- Therapy sessions for client whose mother unexpectedly passed and was the policy holder for her insurance.
Thank you to the Marr-Anderson Foundation whose support enables children, adults, and families access to all the services that are available to them, leading to improved behavioral health and greater stability for those in need, and opportunities for everyone to thrive.