Concordia works in many ways to support the mental health of students through direct initiatives as well as community engagement to show them the importance of giving back each year.
Cross Connection’s Therapy Dog
Along with the direct counseling for students, Cross Connections counselor Jill Bulmahn brings her therapy dog, Willow, to walk the halls and provide snuggles, licks and comfort to students, faculty and staff.
Sources of Strength
Through grants from The Lutheran Foundation, Concordia has joined the nationwide Sources of Strength program with 36 students and 14 adults as trained peer mentors and adults in Sources of Strength. Sources of Strength (SOS) is a best practice youth suicide prevention project designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, bullying and substance abuse. The mission of Sources of Strength is to prevent suicide by increasing help-seeking behaviors and promoting connections between peers and caring adults. Concordia’s SOS peers and adults operate monthly campaigns on the school campus.
RemedyLIVE & Get Schooled Tour
Another community partnership and resource Concordia benefits from is RemedyLIVE. This Christian organization uses technology, namely 24/7 chat and phone lines, to open communication with young people who are hurting to provide hope and information. RemedyLIVE presents their Get Schooled Tour assembly annually at Concordia. The assembly uses interactive technology to poll students on a variety of topics including bullying, suicidal thought, substance use and anxiety.
Look Up Indiana
Inspired by the combined efforts of many people and organizations that want to help, Look Up Indiana is an online resource with community outreach endeavors to provide help and education to all ages. Included in this program is the Indiana School Mental Health Initiative, which Concordia is thankful for and supported by.
SERVing Bowls
For the past two years, Concordia has hosted a fundraiser where students create bowls on our ceramics wheels, which are then sold to raise money for the St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen. Along with making the bowls, students also took a day to serve at the soup kitchen. This year’s event was held on April 26.
The importance of volunteering
Through individual groups or as a school, Concordia makes volunteering a priority for its students. On Oct. 4 this coming school year, the entire student body, through their Koinonia groups, will go out into the community to volunteer for a day. They do yard work, clean churches, visit nursing homes, and even build houses — whatever is needed of them for that day. Students also through clubs on campus, such as National Honor Society, Helping Hands, Honors Academy, Kids for Tomorrow and Student Council, volunteer in the community by tutoring students at local public schools, being bell ringers for the Salvation Army or other projects that they identify individually or as a group.