Learning & Resources

To help families and communities stop these deaths before they happen, more than 180 diverse stakeholders worked in partnership to write the 2015 N.C. State Suicide Prevention Plan.

Supporting nonprofit organizations in their ability to work effectively and efficiently is the basis of our nonprofit capacity building funding area. While providing this grant funding to over 36 Wake County organizations that support children living healthy lives, we’ve actively listened to and learned from our grantee community. To increase the likelihood of a successful project and to minimize the bumps in the road, we share the following tips.

In North Carolina, one in 58 children may be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This prevalence rate comes from a CDC study of 8-year-old schoolchildren and is higher than the national average of one in 68. Families affected by autism increasingly face financial, emotional, and day-to-day hardships, and the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) identified the need to increase their capacity to serve children and families as the need for more resources reached levels higher than ever.

The Setting the Stage: Planning for Intentional and Effective Places and Spaces for Children’s Positive Mental Health project examined the intersection between the factors that contribute to the positive mental health of children – with a focus on children ages birth to 8 years – and how the physical and social elements of places and spaces affect those factors.  The work resulted in an Integrated Plan which is a foundational piece of the John Rex Endowment's positive mental health goal focused on how the people, policies, practices, programs, and physical elements of a place or space can become more intentional and effective in promoting children’s positive mental health.

The Wake County Youth Well-being Profile (winter 2015) provides a snapshot of the current conditions affecting children age 5-18.  The Profile sets the stage for a community-developed and implemented plan for ensuring that all Wake County young people are indeed thriving.

As part of commitment to Nonprofit Capacity Building, we will share resources for building the strength and sustainability of nonprofit organizations that support Wake County children in living healthy lives.

We present a picture of Wake County's children in our five-year plan, Our Plan for Impact, 2013 - 2018, as background to our commitment to have deep impact on the health of Wake County children.

For 34 years TCC Group has conducted strategic planning for foundations.  That experience led to their recent report Ten Keys – Ten Years Later Successful Strategic Planning for Foundation Leaders.  Kate Shirah, John Rex Endowment program director, joined the TCC Group as guest speaker for the January 20 webinar “Ten Keys to Successful Strategic Planning for Funders”.  Listen as Kate explains the John Rex Endowment’s experience and how our organization is positioned two years post.

The Morrisville Fire Department is taking a creative approach to educate their community about safety.  At a Safe Kids of Wake County meeting, the coalition learned about the fire department’s use of the phone system.  If placed on hold, callers hear one of several recorded messages on subjects such as preventing heat stroke, thunder and lightning storm safety, and drowning prevention.