(WGAN – Portland, Maine)
On Thursday October 7th, 2023, Casco Bay Ford presented Sweetser with a check in the amount of $10,200. Sweetser is a behavioral health non-profit that served over 15,000 children, adults and families in Maine last year. Including over 2300 students with the help of their school based clinicians.
The donation was made possible by Casco Bay Ford’s commitment to give $100 for every vehicle sold in the month of September. Casco Bay Ford’s purpose in doing this is to help support Sweetser’s Youth Mental Health program.
According to Sweetser the need for mental health treatment has never been greater, especially for Maine’s Youth. As we’ve seen in the news, youth mental health is a growing crisis in Maine and across the country. 14,000 Mainers age 12-17 have depression, nearly 1 in 4 children experience anxiety. In 2021, nearly half of Maine teen girls reported feeling sad and hopeless and 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year.
“The high need for youth mental health prevention and treatment is why Casco Bay Ford’s support of our youth-based programs is so critical.”, Justin Chenette, Senior Director of Public Relations & Advancement of Sweetser.
The donation from Casco Bay Ford will go towards school-based services embedding clinicians right into school campuses, special purpose private school with day treatment & experiential learning like automotive and farm, creating therapeutic environments in our Children’s residential units and assisting youth and their families who are un or under insured afford the care and treatment they deserve.
In addition to Sweetser, Casco Bay Ford has supported several philanthropic causes in recent years, including Wreaths Across America, Full Plates Full Potential and Toys for Tots.
