June 28, 2021 | Tiffany Neal
“Building Bridges to Better Health” (BBBH), an initiative of Healthier Somerset that promotes health in Bound Brook and South Bound Brook, awarded $10,000 in mini-grants to local organizations. The mini-grants will fund projects to make both towns healthier and stronger communities.
“The mini-grant program was launched to empower local organizations and residents to make a difference in Bound Brook and South Bound Brook, and increase community engagement with the “Building Bridges to Better Health” initiative,” said Serena Collado, the director of Community Health at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset and convener of Healthier Somerset. “We are grateful for the opportunity to fund these projects that will make a real impact on the towns.”
The mini-grants were awarded to 3 organizations:
They are planning a “Discover Downtown Challenge” for people to explore local small businesses, while encouraging them to be active as they discover the walkability of the community.
They will launch a "Read With Me" program to promote family literacy with joint activities for parents and kids. The program aims to help families improve literacy, start building a personal home library, and get to know the local public library.
The district will implement “Signs of Suicide”, a program that promotes the emotional and mental health of students, and helps them learn when to ask for mental health support. It will be implemented in Bound Brook High School, which also serves the students from South Bound Brook.
BBBH is funded by Sanofi. Partners include local officials, community organizations, schools, and businesses. The project is coordinated by Healthier Somerset, a coalition of over 50 organizations working to make Somerset County the healthiest county in New Jersey.