Staunton Farm Foundation
In these uncertain times, it’s important for us to take care of our mental health as well as our physical wellbeing. It is only through stress management and positivity that we can keep morale up and be good pillars of support for our loved ones. In fact, good mental health is paramount in our daily lives and not only in special circumstances. And, we know from studies that not fueling our bodies with the proper nutrition can have adverse effects on our mental wellbeing. To date, Staunton Farm Foundation has helped Center of Life battle both of those issues.
That’s why it’s always been a priority for Center of Life. One of the special programs through which Center of Life highlighted the importance of mental health was the program titled, “Helping Teens Reduce Impulsive Behavior” that was offered COL’s teen health-focused, hip-hop program, KRUNK, and facilitated by Dr. Bruce Rabin, this project educated students regarding the effect that stress plays on mental and physical health. After being taught about the effects adverse childhood experiences can have on one’s health, participants learned the behaviors and techniques — such as meditation and deep breathing — that reduce the impacts those experiences and their corresponding behaviors can have on mental and physical wellbeing. This helped the adolescents remain calm under stress and reduced the likelihood of engaging in destructive behaviors. And, surprisingly, it helped the students’ productivity when creating their artwork.
Such a project could have only been brought to the light of day by the unrelenting support of our partners from the Staunton Farm Foundation. Their support allowed COL to partner with Dr. Bruce Rabin — one of our region's experts in meditation and mindfulness and the impact on the overall wellbeing of those who practice it. The Staunton Farm Foundation is a family foundation established in 1937 in accordance with the wishes of Matilda Staunton Craig, who wanted her estate to be used to benefit people with mental illness. Dr. Rabin has dedicated his professional life to understanding the immune system and the factors which influence it. He discovered early on that stress — a variable in every person’s life — exerts a profound influence on the human immune system and health. And, from that point forward, his work focused on the effects of stress and the pathways of communication between the brain and the immune system — the mind/body connection. Today, Dr. Rabin is retired, but he still lends his expertise where it is most needed: fractured communities, families, and people. He saw the need for a meditation and mindfulness program in Hazelwood, and together, Center of Life, Staunton Farm Foundation, and Dr. Rabin sought to engage teens with this type of program.
Working with Staunton Farm Foundation and Dr. Bruce Rabin has been a blessing to our entire organization. By sharing his expertise with COL staff and giving them the tools to run the sessions themselves, Dr. Rabin made the program more impactful. The students who are in our programs are deeply trusting of our staff members. Therefore, students who may not share personal vulnerabilities with an outside presence were able to share their feelings freely, rather than being under the guidance of an outside resource who may be presenting on this subject matter. The students’ receptiveness and enthusiastic participation is a testament to the indispensable nature of this program and the safe spaces it creates for them.
Without support from the Staunton Farm Foundation, this program would not have been as comprehensive as it was. The students learned techniques of wellness and meditation that helped them self-regulate and remain calm when under stress. This, in turn, reduced the likelihood of engaging in impulsive behavior that might have led to increased involvement in punitive systems. In addition to this, they were educated in the effects of trauma and stress on mental and physical health so they could have a holistic understanding of the necessity of its management.
One of our main challenges was to help the adolescents understand the impact that practicing deep breathing and meditation can have on one’s life. But they also benefitted from hearing and seeing testimonials from people whose lives have been changed by using these practices. The program was also designed for them to observe these benefits in themselves through self-reports, assessments, and anonymous questionnaires that assessed the students' positive changes in their interpersonal relationships, home and school lives, and their overall mindset.
This stress-coping program will contribute to achieving a better quality of mental and physical health for the participating teens. Underserved teens often do not know what healthy behavior is or how to implement it into their lives. At COL, we want our students to learn mindfulness at an early age so they can take these techniques with them to college, as they become parents, and throughout their lives. It is important that teens use healthy behaviors not only for their own benefit, but so that one day, their children will grow up using healthy behaviors and be better equipped to build mutually-beneficial and supportive communities with sustainable futures. We are hopeful that in the future we will also be able to administer to other students we serve.
To us, a successful program would be one that was well received by the students we serve each and every day. After all, if they didn’t respond positively to the program, and we still hit our benchmarks, could we really consider it a success? While the students’ enthusiasm and involved participation was a concern of ours heading into the project, we are happy to report that many of the students loved the program and asked if they could practice it more often. Thus, we believe wholeheartedly that this program was a success.
The best reward from this program, and what can be considered the ideal “return-on-investment,” was to see the students readily accept the ideas and tools shared with them and to look for further practices on their own. Exercises in the field of meditation and mindfulness have become a daily occurrence in our programs. Students also found other ways to add to the program through: Sun salutations yoga, further deep-breathing exercises, and self-reflection (letting go of the past, etc.). Today, our students continue these exercises, and what’s best is that they may have learned them at one of the most important times in their lives to date: just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the pandemic and shutdowns began, once again, our friends at Staunton Farm Foundation decided to provide Center of Life with yet another grant during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a truly transformational gift, as our organization pivoted to serve students and the community when and where it was needed most. While we were not able to hold in-person programming for the remainder of the school year, we knew as an organization we had to do our best to serve our community. On the same day the shutdowns began, Center of Life began serving meals, essentials, educational packets and more to students in the community. To date, we’ve served nearly 119,600 meals, over 500 educational packets, and many boxes of essentials and cleaning supplies. Furthermore, we were able to transition our in-person programming to virtual programming, ensuring that students still have a way to join in our programming. With wonderful partners like Staunton Farm Foundation, we were able to continue helping those who need it most in the most uncertain of times.
From the bottom of our hearts at Center of Life, we would like to thank Staunton Farm Foundation for their continued partnership and generosity. Without strong relationships, we could never perform this vital work. Staunton Farm Foundation is truly serving mind, body, and spirit at Center of Life and throughout the Hazelwood community.
-Arista Engineer