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Local nonprofit says school mental‑health program has grown; reports small GPA gains and steady senior meals service
Summary
Tammy Verhus, interim executive director of the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation, told the council the foundation served 82 students this year across Enumclaw schools and runs a senior hot‑meals program preparing roughly 400 meals weekly; she asked the council to continue support and offered follow‑up contact information.
Tammy Verhus, introduced by the mayor as interim executive director of the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation, presented the nonprofit’s recent results and thanked the council for its support.
"Our mental health program has grown immensely," Verhus said, and described service counts: "we have served a total of 82 students — 62 at Enumclaw High School, 9 at Enumclaw Middle School and 11 at Thunder Mountain." She said six of the high‑school students ‘‘graduated from therapy,’’ which the foundation called a major milestone.
Verhus cited program outcomes the foundation tracks and described a decline in average behavioral incidents (from about 0.69 to about 1.016 in the 2025–26 reporting period, a change the presenter characterized as a 32 percent improvement) and a modest increase in average GPA (about 1.25 percent). She acknowledged the foundation does not publish individual incident details but said the aggregate trend suggested fewer classroom disruptions.
The presentation also described senior hot‑meals operations. Verhus said the program currently serves about 66 seniors, has served more than 80 people year‑to‑date, prepares roughly 400 meals weekly from scratch, delivers three times per week and relies on about 87 volunteers for shopping, preparation and delivery.
Verhus asked council members to direct follow‑up questions to her or to the foundation staff, and she thanked the city for support with staffing and implementation. "If you have questions, please reach out Sarah or myself or anybody at the foundation, and we'll always get you to the right person," she said.
Why it matters: the foundation provides both school‑based mental‑health services and a senior nutrition program that city staff and council members cited elsewhere as part of the local safety‑net. Continued funding or coordination with the city would affect program capacity in 2026–27.
Next steps: Verhus offered to answer questions after the presentation and to provide additional program details on request.
