New Windsor, NY — On September 18, 2023, the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation received the grant check for $26,668 from the HDR Foundation, which was awarded on July 6, 2023. WeLoveU will use the grant to transform a classroom at University High School in Newark, New Jersey, into a multipurpose calming room to help improve student mental health through counseling sessions and emotional regulation.
University High School Principal Genique Flournoy-Hamilton said, “In our school, we recognize the need to support the whole child, and this is inclusive of the social and emotional needs of our scholars. If we are not responsive to the emotional needs of our scholars, they often serve as barriers to scholars performing at their highest potential academically.” She added, “We are grateful to the WeLoveU Foundation and the HDR Foundation for providing the funding to further respond to the needs of our scholars.”
The calming room will include exercise bikes, comfortable chairs, seating for group sessions, headphones, a café counter, plants, and more. The school calming room will benefit youth experiencing depression, anxiety, stress, trauma and behavioral disorders.
The classroom transformation is part of the WeLoveU Foundation’s ‘We Love Our School’ program, which facilitates positive learning environments for children and educators by improving school facilities, community centers, and early childhood centers in low-income communities. Research shows that the school’s architecture, color schemes, equipment, and outer appearance play a key role in the mood and engagement of students. HDR volunteers will support the design and layout of the room alongside volunteers from the WeLoveU Foundation, a global nonprofit that carries out volunteer activities, including work involving health, education and community well-being.
In 2022, the CDC released new data from the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES), which found 44% of U.S. students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies show that the benefits of a calming room on mental health include increasing one’s ability to self-nurture, increasing resilience, and improving self-esteem.
“The Intl. WeLoveU Foundation is grateful to receive a grant from The HDR Foundation, which shares our vision to protect and support the well-being of the students in our communities,” said WeLoveU Executive Director B.J. Hu. “The calming room project will help generations of students at University High School. It’s an honor to be a part of the student’s growth on their academic journey in life.
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About the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation
Founder and Chairwoman Zahng Gil-jah established the International WeLoveU Foundation in 2001 — which is associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN DGC) — as a vehicle to deliver a mother’s love to neighbors in need. The Chairwoman took a grassroots approach by personally interacting with and caring for the needs of the global village. Through the initiatives of education, environmental protection, emergency relief, health, international aid, and community well-being, the Chairwoman’s example of giving a mother’s love has spread from the east to the west and planted itself in more than 50 countries to inspire a healthy and hopeful future for many. For more information, visit weloveuusa.org.
About the HDR Foundation
The HDR Foundation provides grants to qualified organizations that align with HDR’s areas of expertise: education, healthy communities and environmental stewardship. As an employee-funded and employee-driven foundation, preference is given to organizations located in communities in which HDR employees live and work, and those with strong employee involvement. Since its inception, the HDR Foundation has provided more than $7 million in grants to over 300 organizations.