Englishton Park Inc Receives Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Abilities to promote the academic, physical and social well-being of young people

Englishton Park, Inc. has received a grant of $261,720 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help strengthen the Englishton Park Children’s Summer Camp Program which is conducted each summer in Lexington, Indiana.

This special grant program is being funded through the Lilly Endowment Inc. initiative, Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana (SYPI). The aim of the competitive initiative is to help youth-serving organizations working throughout Indiana improve their abilities to promote the academic, physical and social well-being of young people, ages five through 18.

The Englishton Park Children's Summer Program is a 10-day residential, overnight, summer camp program for approximately 100 at-risk girls and boys, aged 8-12, held in June and July each summer.  The camp program is unique and concentrates on academic remediation and behavior modification approaches through an environment which focuses on positive reinforcement and rewards.  The Englishton Park Children’s Summer Camp Program is divided into three 10-day sessions, with 32 to 35 children each session. Children typically only attend one session per summer. 

The children who come to Englishton Park may present a learning disability, an emotional disability, or a diagnosis of ADHD, anxiety, and/or mild depression.  Many of the children have experienced trauma.  Some children come to the camp for the sole purpose of boosting academic skills and the opportunity for a very positive experience. Children are referred by classroom teachers, school counselors, school administrators, private mental health professionals, and agencies like DCS. Children who present IEPs are accommodated.

Children are placed in small groups of seven to nine children. The staff ratio is 1:2 (staff to children).  The staff members utilize cognitive behavior modification strategies such as positive verbal and physical praise, a daily reward system, modeling, and frequent positive behavior support.  The Camp Program, begun in 1969, will celebrate its 56th consecutive year of operation in 2024.

"We are incredibly thankful for the incredibly strong commitment toward improving the lives of children throughout Indiana, which is being made by Lilly Endowment Inc.," said Sean Obermeyer, Chairperson of Englishton Park's Board of Directors.  "Most children attend our Summer Camp at little or no cost, and this grant will have a tremendous impact on our ability to build overall capacity to serve children for many years to come."

Englishton Park is one of 187 organizations receiving grants through Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana.  Lilly Endowment reports that many of the organizations will use their grants to address challenges facing particular groups of young people that are a special focus of the SYPI initiative: young people who are in low-income households; who are members of communities of color; who are from immigrant families; who lack adult supervision; or who have been exposed to trauma; or other adverse childhood experiences.

Grant-funded projects will work to:

• Improve existing programs or develop new ones to reach more youth and remove barriers to their participation.
• Refurbish their buildings or outdoor program spaces or upgrade computers and other technology and equipment to better serve youth.
• Strengthen access to mental health and behavioral health services, which the organizations have noted was a significant need throughout the state.
• Provide youth with improved leadership development and civic engagement opportunities.
• Build organizational capacity by focusing on strategic planning and improved fundraising.
• Hire more staff and attract and retain staff with professional development and increased compensation in a competitive labor market.

Most of the organizations receiving SYPI grants are independent entities whose work with youth is a primary or major focus of their missions. The Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana Grant initiative builds on work the Endowment launched in 2022 with an invitational round of grants to nine national youth-serving organizations to help them expand and enhance the work of their Indiana affiliates or chapters.  SYPI reflects the Endowment’s longstanding interest in helping foster the healthy development of Indiana youth by supporting community-based organizations that complement what young people learn and experience in school and at home.

“Indiana’s youth-serving organizations are crucial to the healthy development of children and youth across the state,’ said Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education. “The challenges these organizations have faced in meeting the needs of young people in recent years have made their work increasingly difficult. Lilly Endowment is pleased to support their efforts to strengthen programs and serve more youth more effectively.”

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

About Englishton Park Children’s Summer Camp Program

Englishton Park’s Children’s Summer Camp Program was started in 1968, and has run each summer for 55 years.  The Children’s Summer Camp Program caters to children who are at-risk of academic failure and who would benefit from new strategies to help them modify adverse behaviors.  Persons interested in having children attend the Englishton Park Children’s Summer Camp Program may receive for more information from the camp co-Directors, Thomas and Lisa Barnett at thomaslisabarnett@etczone.com  or write to: Thomas and Lisa Barnett, PO Box 240, Lexington, IN  47138.