Duke Endowment Gives to Help EYA's North Carolina Youth Succeed

Media Contact:
Rhonda Carpenter
Corporate Communications Specialist
727-461-2990
rhondac@eckerd.org

CLEARWATER, Fla. —The Duke Endowment has awarded funding of more than $62,000 to Eckerd Youth Alternatives' (EYA) Outdoor Therapeutic Treatment Programs in North Carolina. EYA is a leading private, not-for-profit organization serving at-risk and troubled youth in eight states.

A grant of $50,000 from the Trustees of The Duke Endowment was given to recognize Eckerd Youth Alternatives' accreditation status with the Council of Accreditation for Children and Families (COA), an international accrediting body of social and behavioral healthcare services.

Nearly 1,000 youth at EYA's seven residential outdoor programs in North Carolina will benefit from the donation that will assist in covering operational costs of childcare services. North Carolina programs are located in Boomer, Lowgap, Hendersonville, Elizabethtown, Candor, Newport and Manson.

An additional $12,625 grant will directly assist camps E-Mun-Talee, in Lowgap, E-Tik-Etu, in Elizabethtown, and E-Ten-Etu, in Manson, toward COA accreditation, as well as re-accreditation of Camp E-Ma-Etu in Boomer.

"Our program philosophy is rooted in the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed," said Karen V. Waddell, EYA's president and CEO. "With charitable partners like The Duke Endowment, we are able to help so many of North Carolina's youth improve their lives. We sincerely appreciate the support we have long received through this partnership."

The action came at the trustees' June 7 meeting in the foundation's Charlotte, N.C. office.

"These grants, which we make only to licensed and accredited facilities, gives EYA flexible funds that can be used to support their N.C. programs," said Rhett N. Mabry, director of the Endowment's Child Care Division.

Established in 1924 by N.C. industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is one of the nation's largest private foundations. Its mission is to serve the people of North and South Carolina by supporting selected programs of higher education, healthcare, children's welfare and spiritual life.

About Eckerd Youth Alternatives
Eckerd Youth Alternatives (EYA) is one of the nation's leading providers of services for at-risk and troubled youth. As a private not-for-profit organization, EYA serves more than 9,000 youth each year. Since 1968, more than 69,000 young people have been helped through a range of 40 residential and community-based programs: outdoor therapeutic treatment, juvenile justice, ReEntry programs, and youth foster care, and early intervention and prevention services. Headquartered in Clearwater, Fla., Eckerd Youth Alternatives has 1,400 caring employees and provides youth programs in eight states: Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. To learn more, call 727-461-2990 or visit our Web site at www.eckerd.org.