Crisis Prevention & Empowerment (CPE) is proud to announce it has received a $12,500 grant from Suncoast Credit Union to support CPE’s Youth Crisis Stabilization & School Success Initiative, a school-and community-linked program designed to strengthen youth safety, support for families, emotional well-being and academic engagement across Lee and Collier Counties.

This funding will help CPE deliver rapid crisis response, family stabilization supports and youth emotional-resilience programming for children, teens and their families experiencing behavioral-health challenges. Through close collaboration with local school districts and community partners, the initiative ensures youth and their families receive timely intervention and coordinated support that keeps them connected to school, long-term care and supportive services.

“Support from Suncoast Credit Union strengthens our ability to respond quickly when young people and families need help most,” said Crisis Prevention & Empowerment. “This investment allows us to deepen partnerships with schools and community providers while advancing outcomes aligned with education, health, crisis intervention and emotional well-being.”

The Youth Crisis Stabilization & School Success Initiative focuses on supporting youth, young adults and their families in achieving stability, including rapid reintegration into schools, the workplace and their communities. The initiative centers on the family unit and the critical institutions and partners that make up the community, providing stabilization resources and resilience-building support that promotes coping skills, safety and sustained school engagement.

“We’re pleased to support youth and families as they regain their balance in complicated circumstances,” said Jeff Kunberger, executive director of foundations at Suncoast. “Providing support by way of emotional well-being and academic engagement increases the chance of creating productive members of our communities, and we’re proud to assist in this effort,” he added.

CPE is grateful to Suncoast Credit Union for its commitment to children and families of Southwest Florida and for recognizing the importance of collaborative, community-based solutions to youth mental health challenges.

About Crisis Prevention & Empowerment (CPE) 
Founded in 2014 as the Center for Progress and Excellence in Fort Myers, Crisis Prevention & Empowerment (CPE) fills a pressing gap in crisis mental health care across Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Hendry and Glades counties. CPE aims to provide short-term social services to individuals in Southwest Florida and to facilitate the establishment of long-term social and behavioral health services that meet the needs of those communities. CPE offers immediate, 24/7 crisis care, mental health counseling and support for youth in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice system. To learn more about CPE, visit CPECares.org or call 239-689-8490. 

About Suncoast Credit Union

Suncoast Credit Union is the largest credit union in the state of Florida, the 8th largest in the United States based on membership, and the 10th largest in the United States based on its $20.2 billion in assets. Chartered in 1934 as Hillsborough County Teachers Credit Union, Suncoast Credit Union currently operates 79 full-service branches and serves more than 1.3 million members across Florida. As a community credit union, anyone who lives, works, attends school, or worships in Suncoast Credit Union’s service area is eligible for membership. In 2021, Suncoast Credit Union’s field of membership was expanded to include public K-12 teachers, college educators, and educational support staff from all of Florida’s 67 counties. Suncoast is passionate about community support. Since its founding in 1990, the Suncoast Credit Union Foundation has raised and donated more than $61 million to organizations and initiatives that support the health, education, and emotional well-being of children in the communities that the credit union serves. For more information, visit suncoast.com or follow us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.