Nonprofit tells council its school mental‑health initiative served 82 students; senior meals program feeds dozens weekly

Tammy Verhus, interim executive director of the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation, told the Eden Plus City Council on July 13 that the foundation’s mental‑health program served 82 students in 2025–26, including 62 at Enumclaw High School, nine at Enumclaw Middle School and 11 at Thunder Mountain.

"Our mental health program has grown immensely," Verhus said, noting that six high‑school students "graduated from therapy," and that program metrics showed an improvement in classroom behavioral incidents. She reported the program’s average behavioral‑intervention rate rose from 0.69 to 1.016 and that the group saw a 1.25% increase in average GPA among served students.

The presentation also covered the foundation’s senior hot‑meals operation. Verhus said the program currently serves about 66 seniors and has delivered roughly 400 freshly prepared meals each week year‑to‑date, supported by about 87 volunteers who shop, prepare and deliver meals.

Verhus said staff are continuing a search for a permanent executive director and encouraged council and residents to reach out to the foundation with questions. The foundation asked the council to maintain and grow the city’s partnership to sustain both the school counseling work and the senior meal deliveries.

City officials asked no substantive follow‑up questions during the presentation; the council thanked the foundation for the update and for the volunteer effort that supports the meals program.