Justin Fox Burkes
The Urban Child Institue headquarters on Jefferson.
The Urban Child Institute (TUCI) has given $2 million to the University of Memphis for a project focused on the health of at-risk children.
Earlier this year, the Memphis nonprofit organization announced a new gifting strategy that would give $8 million in 2016 to organizations supporting children’s needs. The new strategy increased the amount of money TUCI will give annually to children’s causes.
The U of M’s $2 million grant was outlined in April as a part of that gifting strategy. The money will support a project with the university, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention Project (ACE). aims to “create a culture of health for vulnerable children in Memphis,” according to a Wednesday news release from the U of M, and will focus on areas such as child neglect and abuse, housing, asthma, and breastfeeding.
“The university’s contributions to the Adverse Childhood Experiences Prevention Project will help to ensure the implementation of holistic, integrated approaches to enhancing the health and educational environments of the most needy infants and toddlers in the area.” said U of M Provost Karen Weddle-West.