Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation Awards $10,000 to Youth First

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Grant to Provide Mental Health Support and Substance Misuse Prevention for Daviess and Martin County Youth

The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation continues to invest in the health and well-being of Daviess and Martin County youth and families. A grant award of $10,000 was recently presented to Youth First, Inc. to provide mental health support and substance misuse prevention through their school-based student assistance program.   

The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving partner of Perdue Farms, awards grants to 501(c)(3) organizations that benefit communities where large numbers of their associates live and work and focuses on strengthening communities in the following areas: agriculture and the environment, education, fighting hunger and poverty, health and social services, and public safety.

The grant is part of Perdue Farms’ Delivering Hope To Our Neighbors® outreach focused on improving quality of life and building strong communities.

“At Perdue, we are committed to enhancing the communities where our associates live and work,” said Sara Norfolk, complex human resource manager for Perdue Farms in Washington. “We are proud to continue to invest in Youth First’s program to make sure no child falls through the cracks when it comes to mental health care.”

The grant to Youth First will allow for continued mental health support for approximately 4,350 students in 11 Daviess and Martin County schools. Youth First partners with 125 schools across 14 Indiana counties to embed prevention programs and over 90 skilled mental health professionals (primarily master’s level social workers), bilingual support personnel, and parent engagement coordinators in school buildings, where they provide extra mental health support for students and prevention coaching for parents and teachers.

Youth First Founder Dr. Bill Wooten was present at the check presentation and shared why he started the organization: “It was important to me that all children receive this type of support so they remain healthy, hopeful and focused on school.”

Youth First Mental Health Professionals build caring relationships, foster readiness for positive change, and boost resiliency along with other valuable life skills. Research shows these protective factors are the keys to effective prevention of negative outcomes for young people. The organization’s positive work and strategies are driving growth, with more schools seeking Youth First’s help to address the growing need for mental health supports for students.

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About Youth First, Inc.

Youth First, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides prevention programs and over 100 highly trained mental health professionals (primarily master’s level social workers), parent engagement coordinators, and bilingual support personnel who assess needs, develop and implement prevention plans, and connect students and their families to vital resources, to 126 schools across 14 Indiana counties. Over 52,000 youth and families per year are served by Youth First’s school-based student assistance and community programs that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and maximize student success. To learn more about Youth First, visit youthfirstinc.org or call 812-421-8336.

About the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation
The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, was established in 1957 by company founder Arthur W. Perdue and is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. As part of our belief in supporting the communities where and with whom we do business, the Foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of our associates live and work. At Perdue Farms, we believe in responsible food and agriculture®.

About Perdue Farms
We’re a fourth-generation, family-owned, U.S. food and agriculture company. Through our belief in responsible food and agriculture, we are empowering consumers, customers, and farmers through trusted choices in products and services.

The premium protein portfolio within our Perdue Foods business, including our flagship PERDUE® brand, Niman Ranch®, Coleman Natural®, and Yummy®, as well as our pet brands, Spot Farms® and Full Moon®, is available through various channels including retail, foodservice, club stores and our direct-to-consumer website, PerdueFarms.com. 

Perdue AgriBusiness is an international agricultural products and services company.  

Now in our company’s second century, our path forward is about getting better, not just bigger. We never use drugs for growth promotion in raising poultry and livestock, and we are actively advancing our animal welfare programs. Our brands are leaders in no-antibiotics-ever chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and lamb, and in USDA-certified organic chicken and beef. Learn more at Corporate.PerdueFarms.com.

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GPC Awards Youth First, Inc. $15,000 to Support Daviess, Martin and Pike County Students and Families

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Grain Processing Corporation (GPC) has made a $15,000 donation to Youth First, Inc. This is the third significant donation GPC has made to Youth First since 2017.  With this support Youth First is able to continue their mission to strengthen students and their families in Daviess, Martin and Pike counties.  GPC is a subsidiary company of Kent Corporation, headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa.


Youth First brings family programs to communities and partners with schools to embed Master’s level social workers in the building, where they are an essential part of the school community, serving as mentors for students and prevention coaches for parents and teachers. This service is available to any student enrolled at one of 92 partner schools across 11 Indiana counties. Youth First Social Workers build caring relationships with students, foster readiness for positive change, and boost resiliency to face life’s challenges.

Research shows that building these protective factors in young people reduces risk factors and is essential to preventing addiction, violence, suicide, and similar tragic outcomes. Over 10 years of Youth First data demonstrate that this prevention model benefits the whole community,  empowering the next generation of employees with the social and emotional skills they need to work or continue their education, and ultimately thrive.

“Youth First Social Workers are in nearly all of the area schools where GPC employees’ children or grandchildren attend,” said John Dudenhoeffer, Plant Manager. “This donation is one way that we can help support our employees and their families and the many challenges that kids face today.”

To learn more about Youth First services and programs or to make a donation, visit youthfirstinc.org.

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United Way of Daviess County Grants Relief Funds to Youth First, Inc.

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The second semester of the 2020-2021 school year is underway, and relief funds from the United Way of Daviess County are helping Youth First, Inc. strengthen the social and emotional well-being of students in Daviess County.

In 2020, United Way of Daviess County awarded Youth First with a $1,000 Covid-19 Relief Fund grant to support the organization’s school-based social work services, allowing five Youth First Social Workers to adapt and maintain vital connections with students and families. As the pandemic has continued, Youth First’s mental health professionals are utilizing confidential phone lines and virtual platforms to provide ongoing support whether or not school buildings are open. Thanks to United Way of Daviess County jumping in to offer crisis funding, the relied-on service that Youth First provides to students has been able to continue uninterrupted. 

Youth First partners with Washington, Barr-Reeve, and North Daviess Community Schools, as well as Washington Catholic Schools. Over 3,600 Daviess County students have access to Youth First’s programs and services.

To learn more about Youth First services and programs or to make a donation to Youth First, visit youthfirstinc.org/daviess.

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