Generous grant seeds
health-related program for troubled children
April 26, 2007

DENTON, Texas - A $15,000 grant from the McKesson Foundation has made possible an important health-related program at the Nelson Children's Center in Denton.

The Nelson Children's Center, an affiliated ministry of Lutheran Social Services, serves about 120 children each year. These children suffer from severe emotional and behavioral problems as a result of past abuse and neglect.

"This grant will allow the Nelson Center to provide our 6-to-11-year-old residents important and engaging courses and self-education materials related to their own developmental health," said Cheryl Rayl, CEO of the center. "This is the kind of information that will help them better understand themselves, their feelings, their behavior, as they work through their individualized programs here."

Instructors will be contracted for a pilot year, with weekly classes. Outcomes will become an integral part of treatment plans and quality improvement evaluations. The program is estimated to cost nearly $32,000. The difference will be made up in donations from other sources, including individuals and organizations.

The Nelson Center and two other LSS children's centers, one near Canyon Lake and the other in Katy, specializes in serving children with the most challenging needs.

Lutheran Social Services is a 125-year-old agency that serves more than 35,000 children, elderly and poor annually. Its ministry includes children's residential centers, therapeutic foster care, adoption, children's emergency shelter, senior retirement communities, long-term disaster response and emergency assistance.