Parkland Cares celebrates $1M milestone to help mental health groups

Local dignitaries, elected officials and supporters of Parkland Cares recently gathered at Deja Blue Restaurant in Parkland to celebrate the organization’s milestone of reaching $1 million in grant funding.

The nonprofit will continue to its efforts to provide support to local mental health organizations.

Parkland Cares, which was founded days after the February 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, started expanding its mission in 2021, providing grant funding to other nonprofits providing mental health services anywhere in the South Florida region.

“It was an amazing milestone that we were able to award $1 million,” said Stacey Udine, executive director of Parkland Cares. “From a small organization that was kind of created days after the tragedy, it was a huge accomplishment for us and it helped show our commitment to the community that we are here and still able to be successful.”

The organizations that have received grants from Parkland Cares include Behavioral Health Associates of Broward ($397,500), Tomorrow’s Rainbow ($187,500), 2.1.1 Broward ($80,000), Eagles’ Haven ($120,000), Henderson Behavioral Health ($75,000), Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies ($5,000), Flite Center ($20,000), Children’s Bereavement Center ($100,000), Sheridan House ($10,000), Handy ($5,000), Children’s Diagnostics and Treatment Center ($15,000), and Ruth and Norman Rales Jewish Family Services ($5,000).

Visit parklandcares.org/.

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