With coronavirus pandemic restrictions loosening, Fred Kaelin, executive director of the Shine Initiative, is focused on expanding the nonprofit’s impact on children and adults within Worcester County and beyond.
Shine is a Worcester-based nonprofit that partners with schools and community organizations to promote mental health awareness and support. Along with leading workshops and creating peer-led support groups, Shine works to reduce stigma surrounding mental health.
Since a large portion of the organization’s work involves in-person workshops, Shine spent many COVID months confined to Zoom. Kaelin said the nonprofit is maintaining steady strength after a positive year in 2021.
Between a general rise in mental health awareness and added pressure from the pandemic, more schools have sought Shine in recent years. Administrators who previously viewed partnering with Shine as a non-essential add-on now find it a necessity, Kaelin said.
“It’s made a lot of people in schools throughout Worcester County aware that a lot of youth really struggled,” Kaelin said. “And even with being back last year, it still wasn’t as normal and smooth as folks hoped.”
Shine’s headquarters on Portland street houses four staff members. Despite its small size, Shine works with about 50 schools throughout Worcester County, nearly double what it did when Kaelin joined in September 2018.
In four to five years, Kaelin hopes Shine will grow to accommodate any school or organization in Massachusetts. Long term, he envisions Shine being amenable to neighboring New England states.
Kaelin has sights on expanding his staff. He said Shine is considering a regional model approach, where trained members are available throughout the state.
Shine is also directing more attention towards adults. The nonprofit has begun partnering with businesses and corporate teams to spread its mission in office spaces as well as classrooms.
“The mental health of your employees really matters. It affects your bottom line,” Kaelin said. “It is a growth area for us.”
Through working with businesses, Kaelin hopes Shine will access the resources to reach more schools. The nonprofit receives funding from private grants, foundations, and donors; Kaelin believes Shine’s corporate partnerships might provide additional support.
When it comes to mental health support, Kaelin understands helping more children means first helping more adults.
“The most common thing [kids] bring up to us is to help people of my generation and the adults around them be more comfortable so that they can get genuine support,” Kaelin said.
