JFS St. Louis Awarded $200,000 Grant from the Tilles Foundation

 Jewish Family Services (JFS) received a $200,000 grant over two years from the Tilles Foundation, which is dedicated to finding the most effective and impactful ways to help children in the Greater St. Louis Region through innovative charitable investments. The grant will support JFS’ Child Abuse Prevention Program (CAPP) and its expansion to serve more individuals by adding a staff member and producing new educational tools.

The grant will enable the current program to reach nearly 52,000 pre-K through fifth grade students annually by 2026. For almost 30 years, CAPP and its trained specialists have worked with more than 150 schools across St. Louis to teach over 35,000 children, teachers and parents about body safety, the warning signs of child abuse, and safe internet skills. The program’s goal is to equip the region’s children and adults with the knowledge to reduce or eliminate the risk of child sexual abuse.

Through the generosity of the Tilles Foundation, JFS expanded its CAPP program into middle and high schools to reach an additional 10,000 students each year, as well as hired specialist Bria Liggins. Her work will focus on delivering presentations and programs that teach area adolescents the skills to develop healthy relationships in their teenage years and beyond.

The grant also will be used to create a library of seven proprietary training videos for preschool through eighth grade. These videos, which contain CAPP presentations and content, will assist school counselors and social workers to achieve a wider reach and greater impact throughout the community.

“We are truly grateful to the Tilles Foundation for recognizing our long-standing mission to prevent child sexual abuse,” said JFS Chief Executive Officer Miriam Seidenfeld. “This generous grant enables our organization to add a much-needed specialist like Bria to our team, as well as to produce videos that will expand our capacity to reach and teach a larger audience.”

Founded in 1871, JFS is a multiservice nonprofit that supports families and seniors, alleviates hunger, and improves mental health for all St. Louisans. The organization serves individuals and families in crisis, as well as helps seniors remain independent and connected to the community. JFS – which supports the emotional and physical well-being of more than 50,000 area children, families, and seniors annually – provides hunger relief through its Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry (HKJFP). For more information, call (314) 993-1000.