Representatives from Arrowleaf and Camp Ondessonk met with Glenn and Jo Poshard of the Poshard Foundation at New Simpson Hill. The Poshard Foundation presented a donation of $10,180 to sponsor three dozen New Simpson Hill students for an after-school program at Camp Ondessonk in Southern Illinois. From left are Dan King, executive director, Camp Ondessonk; Nolan Hurst, camping services director, Camp Ondessonk; Glenn Poshard; Jo Poshard; Sherrie Crabb, executive director, Arrowleaf; Candace Armstrong, princ

Poshard Foundation partners with area organizations to provide after-school services

Serving children who have experienced trauma

(Editor’s note: the accompanying photograph and story are courtesy of The Vienna Times newspaper.)

Every school district has students who have faced traumatic experiences and New Simpson Hill School is no exception. 

For 22 years, the Poshard Foundation has sought to help such children throughout Southern Illinois, and now students at New Simpson Hill will be feeling that impact.

Thanks to the work of Arrowleaf (formerly Family Counseling), the Poshard Foundation is making a $10,180 donation to the after-school program at Camp Ondessonk, in nearby Ozark, to address those students’ needs.

The camp, a nationally renowned Catholic summer camp, is hosting nearly 40 students on Mondays and Wednesdays after school. 

The students are bussed from New Simpson Hill and are enjoying a variety of activities, including archery and camping skills.

New Simpson Hill superintendent Joe Nighswander said the activities the students were experiencing at Camp Ondessonk were invaluable, especially during a year when they have been increasingly learning and living through screens.

Jo and Glenn Poshard said they are happy to work with New Simpson Hill School and Camp Ondessonk. They also thanked  Arrowleaf for facilitating the collaboration. 

While the Poshards have been working through their foundation to improve the lives of children in Southern Illinois for decades, this effort has a personal connection – Jo Poshard taught at New Simpson Hill from 1977 to 1984.

“This after-school program will speak to the unique needs of children who have faced traumatic experiences; that is an essential part of our mission. Life presents challenges for all of us and children are no exception,” the foundation said in a statement. “We are happy to lend a helping hand.”

Arrowleaf CEO Sherrie Crabb also has a personal connection – she has two children who attend New Simpson Hill. 

Crabb initially reached out to the Poshard Foundation, which she cited as an example of Arrowleaf executing part of its mission as a connecting force in the region.

“This partnership between the Poshard Foundation, New Simpson Hill and Camp Ondessonk is a perfect example of fulfilling that connecting role,” Crabb said. 

“Even when it’s a service our organization doesn’t provide, part of our role in the communities we serve is to help engage those organizations that do.”

The Poshard Foundation’s donation of $10,180 was presented at New Simpson Hill School on Wednesday, March 24.

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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