The Cartwright School District will receive $75,000 in resources to directly address mental health and well-being challenges for students, teachers, and staff at their schools.

The award comes from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation for Community & Health Advancement which selected Cartwright as the inaugural recipient of the Thiru Family Trust Momentum Maker Grant.

Located in the heart of Maryvale, Cartwright School District serves 14,000 students from PreK-8th grade across 20 schools. The district office is located at 5220 W. Indian School Road, in Phoenix.

The Thiru Family Trust Momentum Maker Grant includes:

• A direct grant of $25,000 for the Cartwright School District to address and improve the mental health and well-being of students and employees.
• $35,000 to Teen Lifeline to provide Cartwright School District with expert guidance on policies and practices to bolster well-being and resilience. Teen Lifeline is providing resources to all applicants and additional services that include two hours of direct consultation to the top five finalists.
• $15,000 to M2 Well-Being to provide training and skill-building sessions for Cartwright School District, designed to build teacher and staff capacity that strengthens their mental health. M2 Well-Being is also providing resources to all applicants.

“Mental health remains a pressing topic in our community,” Dr. Christine Bracamonte Wiggs, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation for Community & Health Advancement president, shared in a press release. “With the support of the Thiru Family Trust, the Foundation is able to provide Cartwright School District the much-needed resources and tools to help foster well-being in every classroom.”

The district hopes to use the Thiru Family Trust Momentum Maker Grant to continue its efforts to prioritize mental health support for its students and employees.

“We are grateful for this generous grant,” Cartwright Superintendent Dr. LeeAnn Aguilar-Lawlor stated. “These funds and resources will address one of the district’s top priorities – the health and well-being of our students and staff."

The Thiru Family Trust Momentum Maker Grant underscores the Foundation’s dedication to addressing mental health in Arizona. Each year, this grant will identify a specific area of mental health-related need and provide resources and funding valued at $75,000 to address this need.