St. Louis County Children's Service Fund

Happy Juneteenth! In observance of this holiday, our office is closed today.

Juneteenth recognizes the day the last group of slaves in the United States was freed: June 19, 1865 — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This week, our team took some time to watch and reflect on this short PBS video on the history of Juneteenth. We invite you to take a few minutes to watch and share with others who may not know the history behind this holiday. We wish everyone a joyful day!

History of Juneteenth On June 19, 1865 the last group of slaves in the United states were...

⏳ ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO APPLY! ⏳

Looking to host a FREE event for teens in St. Louis County this July? 🎉🏀🎨🎧🍿

The deadline to apply for Youth Event Funding is:

📅 **June 7, 2026**

💰 Funding Available:
🔹 Up to $2,500 for first-time applicants
🔹 Up to $5,000 for returning grantees, based upon previous performance and grant management

⚡ Applications are reviewed on a **first-come, first-served basis**, so submitting early is strongly encouraged.

🌙 Priority consideration is given to events that:
✅ Take place during **evenings and weekends**
✅ Offer **late-night programming**
✅ Serve youth ages **12–19** (with priority for teens ages 14+)
✅ Meet all other eligibility requirements

🎯 Popular Event Ideas:
🛼 Skate Nights
🎵 DJ & Glow Parties
🏀 Basketball Tournaments
🎬 Outdoor Movie Nights
🎮 Gaming Events
💦 Foam Parties

📍 Events must be:
✔️ FREE to participants
✔️ Located in St. Louis County
✔️ Hosted by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

🔗 Apply Now:
tinyurl.com/stlareavpc-youthevents

Let’s create safe, fun spaces for teens this summer! ☀️🙌

🎶They say it's your birthday! 🥳🎶

We had a belated celebration for our May birthdays yesterday. It was a perfect day for an afternoon ice cream cone! 🍦☀️ Happy birthday to Jessie and Karyn!

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Our mission is to improve the lives of kids and families in St. Louis County, and that means making sure all kids and families have the supports they need to thrive and reach their full potential. Several of our partner organizations (NAMI St. Louis, Youth In Need, Proud Art STL, The SPOT) as well as other local organizations (St. Louis Q***r Support & Healing, PROMO Missouri) offer safe spaces, mental health support, and services tailored to LGBTQIA+ youth.

You can also use our Find a Service Tool to explore additional mental health resources and connect with the right mental health care for you at stlcsf.org/find-a-service

Thank you to everyone who joined us last week for a panel discussion and screening of Silent War in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Month and Mental Health Awareness Month! We're grateful to our wonderful panelists for their thoughtful discussion and reflections on the film and mental health in the Asian American community here in St. Louis.

If you missed this event, the panel discussion will be available to watch soon our website and YouTube channel! Learn more about the film and how to arrange a screening at https://silentwarmovie.com/.

As we close out Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to say thank you for following as we highlighted the needs of our St. Louis County community around youth mental health. More than 300 St. Louisans shared their perspectives with us. Their voices will guide our future strategic priorities here at CSF, and we hope you’ve found meaning in learning more about how your neighbors, friends, clients, students, and others feel about youth mental health in St. Louis County.

Let us know in the comments: Which theme resonated with you most?

1. Youth Are Exhausted, But Not Defeated
2. Social Media and Technology Are Central to the Lives of Youth
3. Parenting Shapes the Well-Being of Youth
4. The School-Parent Relationship Is Strained
5. Education Systems Must Evolve
6. Safe Places Enable Socialization and Community-Building
7. Long Delays and Discontinuity Are Harmful
8. Parents Want More Choice and Easier Access to Diagnostic and Treatment Services
9. Stigma Has Changed, but not for Everyone
10. Prevention Is the Best Care

We want to extend a big congratulations to our most recent practicum student, Barbra Aber, on being recognized as this year's Dr. Clara Louise Meyers Outstanding MSW Practicum Education Student by the WashU Brown School of Social Work!

Barbra's practicum with us recently came to end. In her time working with us, she brought fresh perspective, tough questions, and radiant positivity to our team. This recognition is so well deserved, and we feel immensely fortunate to have been a stepping stone on her path to what we know will be a very successful future. Congratulations, Barbra!

The 10th and final theme from our community health needs assessment is Prevention is the Best Care.

Participants believe early intervention and prevention-focused education work and can change the course of life for youth. They recommended early screening, more robust programming for children with lower-acuity mental health, and building coping skills for all youth.

Learn more about this theme at https://ow.ly/Tz9N50YWfpI

It's the last week of Mental Health Awareness Month, and we have two themes left to share from our recent community health needs assessment!

Theme 9 is Stigma Has Changed, but Not for Everyone. While young people are comfortable talking about mental health, that's not always true for older generations. Cultural norms based on race and ethnicity are also a factor in comfort levels around mental health.

Learn more about our community health needs assessment and what we heard at https://stlcsf.org/our-stories/chna/theme-9-stigma-has-changed/.