Editor:
Thank you to so many of you who have responded to our Year End Appeal. Your support enables Alameda Education Foundation (AEF) to offer a myriad of vital programs and support for Alameda students, including a relatively new focus: Mental Health.

So many of our young people are struggling with mental health. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2021 37 percent of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44 percent reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year.

According to data from the California Healthy Kids Survey, 33 percent of seventh graders, 36 percent of ninth graders and 40 percent of 11th graders reported chronic sadness. Suicide was considered by 16 percent of seventh graders, 21 percent of ninth graders, and 19 percent of 11th graders.

At Alameda Unified School District (AUSD), surveys show that stress/anxiety and sadness/depression are the two most common challenges that our middle and high school students are facing, with 76 percent of those seeking services identifying anxiety/stress as their highest category and 24 percent identifying extreme sadness.

AEF is committed to supporting mental health care services by sponsoring Care Solace, a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that connects AUSD students, staff, and families with appropriate mental health care services. Can you help us support mental health care for our students, staff, and families?

To donate to AEF’s effort to provide mental health services to Alameda youth, visit www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=4U6SPEE3QYL2L.

If you are an AUSD student or family member and seek service, visit www.caresolace.com/site/alamedafamilies.