The Infinite Campus Foundation was founded in 2009 and is the 501(c)(3) charitable affiliate of Infinite Campus, Inc. The primary focus of the Foundation is identifying and supporting programs and services in the Twin Cities north metro which provide support and services to youth experiencing behavioral health issues. A recent U.S. Surgeon General report indicates that mental health challenges were the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes in young people, with up to 1 in 5 children ages 3 to 17 in the U.S. having a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder.
“Mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real and widespread. Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide — and rates have increased over the past decade.” - Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
Students suffering from these conditions face significant barriers to learning and are less likely to graduate from high school. The Infinite Campus Foundation seeks to fund innovative programs and services which break down these barriers to student achievement. Organizations interested in applying for a donation can complete our request form.
Canvas Health’s school-based mental health therapists reach diverse and underserved populations of youth who otherwise could not get to or obtain therapy services in the community. Many of these children have untreated and undiagnosed trauma resulting in depression, anxiety, self-injurious behaviors, suicidal thoughts and attempts, dissociation, academic and school failure, and disrupted family lives.
Infinite Campus’ grant will allow one of these school-based therapists to be trained on an evidence-based treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR can quickly and drastically decrease trauma symptoms and increased attention, academic success and quality of life. It is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. It is often viewed as more effective that talk-therapy at getting at and treating trauma symptoms on multi-levels: emotional, cognitive, somatic/body memory. EMDR does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue and therefore is effective with adults, children, and children who are traditionally more closed off or nonverbal in therapy.
Having more school-based therapists trained in EMDR therapy will benefit children, families, teachers, and school communities.
The Operation No Limits' (ONL) mission is to enhance the lives of at-risk youth through education, support, encouragement, positive experiences, life and social skills development, and advocacy. ONL works with youth ages 9-18 and grades 3-12 to prepare them for re-entry into our communities with new skills, new direction, and the knowledge and resources they need to succeed and be a positive member of their community. Their programs and service-learning activities educate at-risk youth in the areas of life, social, technical and trade skills. A recent Infinite Campus Foundation donation was intended to help ONL reach their goals of not only impacting the individual, but through knowledge and resources, preparing individuals with tools to assist family, friends, and the community at large, promote resilience, stability, and psycho-social health.
Congratulations to the Minnesota Prevention and Recovery Alliance (MnPRA) for being selected to lead a pilot program that addresses mental health and addiction issues in Anoka County. While our intent is to eventually create a statewide system, we have decided to launch this initiative with a local, three-phase pilot. Starting in Anoka County will allow us to closely collaborate with providers, maximize consumer awareness and reduce cost. If successful, we will create a plan to scale the platform statewide in partnership with the appropriate state agencies.
Pilot Summary: Finding the right service provider is key to behavioral health recovery. The goal of this project is to create an online resource that connects those in need of behavioral health services with the provider most appropriate for them. More than a directory, the platform will provide computer-driven recommendations, consumer reviews and live support.
Thank you to all the organizations that applied for the Infinite Campus Foundation Mental Health and Addiction Network prize. We wish all applicants continued success in helping address mental health and addiction issues in our communities.
WARM program expansion – the Washburn Acute Response Model (WARM) connects a family with a therapist specializing in transitional support to families following a doctor or hospital assessment for a young person's mental health crisis. Therapists offer an intensive, at-home 12-week program that helps a family stabilize and build a long-term safety and therapy plan. The program was piloted within the Allina Health system, and they are working on expanding it to other major health providers in the Twin Cities. The Infinite Campus Foundation funding will help cover the onboarding of new therapists.
In partnership with MacPhail Center for Music, hour long music therapy sessions are provided twice a week on Mercy Hospital’s inpatient mental health geriatric unit. Led by a board certified music therapist, the sessions include rhythmic instrument playing, movement to music, songwriting, and therapeutic singing which foster developmentally appropriate social, communication, cognitive, and physical skill growth while encouraging active participation. Unit staff report these sessions are a highlight of the week and even patients who are typically withdrawn and isolated participate in the group which enhances the clinical effectiveness of the overall programming. The funding will help provide these music therapy sessions.
The Infinite Campus Foundation was pleased to donate $50,000 to Cambia Hills, which concludes a two-part $100,000 commitment of operating funds to help them during their first year.
Cambia Hills is Minnesota's first psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth ages 6-to-17 (which also serves as a school). They opened their doors just after the pandemic started and provided treatment and care for 30 kids in a facility that had a 60 patient maximum, until they recently closed in 2021.
The Infinite Campus Foundation was pleased to contribute $10,000 in sponsorship of the United Hospital Foundation’s Service to Humanity Virtual Gala. The Virtual Gala was meant to raise funds and awareness of Unity Hospital’s Mental Health and Addiction services and facilities. The demand for mental health services continues to accelerate, especially as the unsettling COVID-19 pandemic up-ends nearly every aspect of our lives. The United Hospital Foundation is committed to exceptional care, and to create distinctive Mental Health Healing Spaces at United Hospital.
The Infinite Campus Foundation is honored to support local healthcare workers through the donation of 45 iPads to Mercy Hospital. The iPads will facilitate the delivery of therapeutic mental health programming for patients isolated by COVID-19. Workers will use the iPads to serve patients throughout Mercy Hospital including in the inpatient mental health setting, the emergency department, and the medical/surgical units.
