GraVoc Proudly Supports PEF’s Mental Wellness Initiative

GraVoc Charitable Foundation is proud to donate $10,000 to support the Peabody Education Foundation’s (PEF) new Mental Wellness Initiative that will benefit students, parents, and teachers in our community through holistic mental health programs. Along with North Shore Bank, the JB Thomas-Lahey Foundation, and North Shore Community Action Programs, GraVoc will be providing funding to the PEF to help fund programs and promote mental health awareness. Through this initiative, the PEF will provide Peabody schools with reading materials, motivational speakers, and other resources to help them address growing mental health challenges affecting students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The GraVoc Charitable Foundation’s mission is to assist and engage in activities that serve charitable, educational, literary, or scientific purposes, as well as create strong relationships throughout the community,” stated Catherine Gravel, President of the GraVoc Charitable Foundation. “The PEF has made significant impacts on the lives of Peabody Public School students since its inception, and we are delighted to support their efforts.”

GraVoc recognizes the significant impact that mental health has on our students’ ability to thrive, physically, emotionally, and academically. We are thrilled to collaborate with the PEF and their sponsors on this initiative to further generate awareness around mental health issues in our schools and provide accessible resources to support our students’ overall well-being.

Pictured above:  Debbie MacGregor, Karen McGovern, Kristine Bruno, Mary Bellavance, Dr. Josh Vadala, Catherine Gravel, Dan Vassallo, Katrina Vassallo, David Gravel.

The first program introduced under the Mental Wellness Initiative is the Social Emotional Libraries. These libraries – now available to all Peabody elementary school teachers – include motivational paperback and hardcover books on topics such as responsibility, respectfulness, being safe, cooperation, acceptance, resilience, and empathy to assist with social emotional teaching in classrooms.

The PEF will continue to fund mental wellness programs under this initiative throughout the year. To learn more about this great new initiative, click below to visit the PEF’s website.

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