Statements
Mission
STARS mission is to help all young people pursue their unlimited potential by providing hope, health, and connection.
Background
Established in 1984, STARS is an award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to the hope, health, and connection of young people and the communities they serve. STARS provides school- and community-based prevention, intervention, and treatment services through education, counseling, and clinical mental health supports. Their training department has a national footprint, and is recognized as a leader in the areas of bullying prevention, restorative practices, youth engagement and youth voice, school climate, and workplace relationships. Their clinical services are accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). STARS services have produced consistent outcomes including increased school attendance and grades, increased youth attachment to school and community, increased individual resilience, and our programs have reduced suspensions, expulsions, bullying, violence, delinquency, alcohol and other drug use (Kanu, Hepler, & Labi, 2015).
Impact
STARS services produce outcomes to include increased school attendance and grades, increased youth attachment to school/community, increased individual resilience, and reduced suspensions, expulsions, bullying, violence, delinquency and alcohol and other drug use (Kanu, Hepler, & Labi, 2015). Our services reduce office referrals and truancy because discipline is handled. Through our prevention, intervention and treatment services, our student and clients reported:
• 94% reported they felt positive about their future;
• 82% reported they felt connected to school;
• 81% reported they leaned healthy ways to cope with stress and anxiety;
• 95% reported they understood the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, vapes, juuls and other drug use;
• 85% reported they know how to handle and resist peer pressure;
• 94% would recommend STARS to a friend who needed help;
• 87% reported they made positive changes in their life after participating in STARS services.
Needs
Forthcoming
CEO Statement
We live in stories! Stories we share with others, stories we create-some true, some not so much. Stories are powerful. They can
provide great encouragement, give us hope, make us sad, make us angry and leave us wanting more. An article I read some time
ago referenced research pointing toward the powerful impact and depth of stories on human connection. Children, in hospital ICUs,
who listened to someone telling stories for just 30 minutes showed decreased cortisol responses - the hormone that is released in
response to stress. At the same time, they showed significant increases in oxytocin - a hormone that is related to human bonding. Higher levels of oxytocin are related to
greater feelings of love and empathy; in other words, they experienced more positive emotions that actually helped them heal. (Brockington, G., Moreira, A. P. G., Buso, M. S., da Silva, S. G., Altszyler, E., Fischer, R., & Moll, J. (2021). No great surprise really. I would guess that the majority of us wouldn't question the powerful nature of stories.
At STARS, we hear lots of stories. Some stories break our hearts, others give us great encouragement. Hearing stories about young people and families overcoming tremendous obstacles, stories about finding healing and support through school-based therapy and counseling, and stories about adolescents overcoming addiction through intensive outpatient treatment all bring joy. Stories of schools finding solutions to issues such as bullying and harassment through trainings and prevention initiatives, and stories about
lives saved through the work of our Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists offer such hope and promise. When we hear these stories, we experience what the research speaks of - our love and empathy increase because we know that the work of STARS is bringing hope to individuals we are privileged to serve. The privilege to share our stories is made possible because of your commitment and support. We are grateful. Thank you for helping us offer hope, health and connection every day.
Board Chair Statement
Having been on the board for over five years, it has been incredible to witness our tremendous growth, most especially after the pandemic. Not only have we doubled our staff, our budget has also doubled. These are testaments to the scope and depth of our services. The need for school-based, mental health counseling is a guiding force in our success. We have some of the most dedicated, compassionate, and capable staff committed to the hope, health, and connection of the communities we serve. For a nonprofit to grow so quickly, it is heartening that the leadership team at STARS has been able to maintain a positive and supportive work place culture. Being named a TopWorkplace by USA Today for eleven consecutive years is phenomenal and extraordinary. It has been a privilege to serve on this board, helping to shape strategy and support to our fundraising efforts. We have a challenging year in front of us with ESSER funds rolling off. The majority of ESSER funds have provided tremendous growth for services in Metro Nashville Public Schools. Several additional counties will also be impacted by the potential loss of these funds. In short, somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 STARS Mental Health Counselors and Restorative Practices Assistants could be impacted by the loss of funding. The impact on young people and their families, and our staff is significant. Our team is working with each school district to sustain services at current levels.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Mental Health & Crisis Intervention - Mental Health Treatment |
| Secondary Category: | Youth Development - Youth Development Programs |
| Tertiary Category: | Education - Elementary & Secondary Schools |
Areas Served
Our services and trainings are made available across Middle Tennessee, East Tennessee, West Tennessee, the Upper Cumberland Plateau and the rural and suburban communities surrounding these areas. We offer services statewide through our training division. We also provide telehealth treatment services for adolescents struggling with substance misuse and co-occurring mental health disorders.
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Cumberland |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - DeKalb |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Fentress |
| TN - Franklin |
| TN - Giles |
| TN - Hickman |
| TN - Houston |
| TN - Humphreys |
| TN - Jackson |
| TN - Lawrence |
| TN - Lewis |
| TN - Lincoln |
| TN - Macon |
| TN - Marshall |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Montgomery |
| TN - Moore |
| TN - Overton |
| TN - Perry |
| TN - Pickett |
| TN - Putnam |
| TN - Robertson |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Smith |
| TN - Stewart |
| TN - Sumner |
| TN - Trousdale |
| TN - Van Buren |
| TN - Warren |
| TN - Wayne |
| TN - White |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Bedford |
| TN - Cannon |
| TN - Clay |
| TN - Coffee |
