Sherwin-Williams Foundation Awards $50,000 Grant to CHRIS Kids

After a national competition, The Sherwin-Williams Company has awarded its annual signature grant to CHRIS Kids, a local nonprofit in East Atlanta focused on child welfare and behavioral health.

The $50,000 grant expands therapy groups, skill training groups and parenting, which are provided by CHRIS Kids at the CHRIS Counseling Center (CCC). Conducted by licensed therapists and staff, these groups are crucial to children who are healing from the trauma of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and neglect.

These groups help them heal, create positive relationships, and unlock their potential for success.

“The Sherwin-Williams Foundation grant will enable the CHRIS Counseling Center to help many more children and families, especially very young mothers and their children by providing a variety of groups targeted to areas of need, including recovery from the traumas of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, homelessness, and substance abuse,” said Kathy Colbenson, CEO of CHRIS Kids.  “Thanks to Sherwin-Williams, potential will be unlocked, cycles of abuse will be broken and children can grow up to become contributing adults.”  

“The Sherwin-Williams Foundation is very pleased to support the inspirational work of CHRIS Kids,” said Chris Connor, chairman and CEO of The Sherwin-Williams Company. “Their mission of healing children, strengthening families and building community shows how a Public-Private partnership can offer a helping hand to children and families in need. Over our 148 year history, Sherwin-Williams has always reached out to the communities where we do business. The driving force of the Sherwin-Williams Foundation is our commitment to enhancing education and children’s health and safety.”

Small groups of 6-10 children meet regularly, with one or two highly trained clinical staff. Children learn skills to cope and adjust to a variety of life’s challenges and begin to heal from the effects of trauma. Some groups may focus on a specific subject such as substance abuse, while others may be more general in nature. Goals include: (1) increased coping and life skills; (2) increased connections with peers; (3) increased opportunity to practice learned skills in a safe, supportive setting; and (4) increased success and satisfaction. This grant allows CHRIS Kids to focus on increasing and improving CHRIS Counseling Center services to best meet the multiple and complex needs of the children, youth and families we serve every year who are suffering from the effects of trauma.