As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. But it also requires follow-up, care and input from the community at large to keep that child healthy and thriving throughout his or her life. In alignment with its mission to deliver dignified and compassionate care to those who need it the most, Bon Secours understands the value and importance of strengthening community health for everyone’s benefit, and particularly for vulnerable populations such as the poor, the dying and the underserved.
Bon Secours takes a vested interest in championing the well-being of Richmond residents and the neighborhoods they live in. Working well beyond the walls of its hospitals and clinics, Bon Secours addresses social health issues ranging from food insecurity, lack of access to care and availability of mental health resources to affordable housing, educational opportunities and entrepreneurial support.
The organization partners with like-minded local entities, redistributing a percentage of its proceeds back into the communities it serves every year for the past two decades. An important branch of that effort is the Community Benefit Investment grants, which Bon Secours awards to deserving nonprofit recipients.
Paralympic Sport Club, Sportable, basketball game
In the last 10 years, Bon Secours has provided more than $33 million to 85 regional organizations that are working in a variety of ways to improve social determinants of health and to impact key areas of need as indicated by the results of a comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment. Of that amount, 40% — about $13.2 million — has remained in Richmond’s East End district, where it’s been put to valuable use to benefit at-risk residents and patients.
“Our awardees represent the able capacity of our nonprofit partners to address the current social determinants of health across our community,” says Becky Clay Christensen, executive director of community health for Bon Secours Richmond. “It is only through high-impact projects that promote collaboration and measured success that we can, together, make a difference.”
For example, Bon Secours’ grant support has helped Richmond-based ChildSavers, a nearly 100-year-old local nonprofit group, to expand its capacity to deliver school-based mental and behavioral health care services designed to help students who are currently facing or working through childhood trauma.
Shalom Farms, recent Bon Secours grant recipient
Other recent grant recipients across Bon Secours’ five main areas of focus have included the Shalom Farms, Virginia Supportive Housing, Hanover Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club of Metro Richmond, Challenge Discovery, REAL LIFE, the Metropolitan Business League, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, Peter Paul Development Center, Armstrong Leadership, YMCA of Greater Richmond and YWCA Richmond, to name just a few.
Last year alone, Bon Secours distributed $3.8 million worth of investment grants to 52 different nonprofits, and the organization intends to award more than $3 million in 2023 to continue funding the important work its recipients are doing. It’s just another way that Bon Secours is giving back to help build stronger, healthier communities for all Richmond residents.
To learn more about the application process for Community Benefit Investment grant consideration, visit bonsecours.com.
