Ellie Helm Foundation Awards $10,000 to STRIDE Program

(From left) Amy Kohnle, executive director of United Way of Door County; Dakota Londo, community impact coordinator for United Way of Door County; and Polly and Don Helm, board members of the Ellie Helm Foundation.

The Ellie Helm Foundation (EllieHelmFoundation.org) has awarded $10,000 to the United Way of Door County for its STRIDE program. 

STRIDE (Strengthening Trust and Resilience, Instilling Independence, and Discovering Empowerment) is an initiative dedicated to removing barriers to access to quality mental-health treatment for Door County youth. Its focus is to provide mental-health services through mental-health providers on site in all five Door County schools during school hours. 

Ellie Helm, the daughter of Don and Polly Helm, grew up in Fish Creek and believed in touching the lives of everyone she met, no matter how small that touch was. On Sept. 29, 2017, Ellie lost her life suddenly and tragically in an ATV accident. Her family established the Ellie Helm Foundation to keep her loving legacy alive.The foundation supports educational opportunities and positive life-skills development for youth, promotes awareness of depression and suicide prevention among young adults, and supports meaningful connections and social engagement for the elderly.