Chadron High student directs charitable fund to FARM CAMP

Photo: Jezrelle “Jezzy” Munyiri (bottom row, second from left) poses with her 2024 F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P. cohort. Munyiri recently participated in a Snow-Redfern Foundation program that enabled her to direct financial support to F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P., helping ensure that future students have the opportunity to attend. (Photo provided courtesy of F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P.)

A 17-year-old senior at Chadron High School has shown her gratitude for a BHECN-sponsored career awareness program by directing a $400 donation from the Snow-Redfern Foundation toward the program.

Jezrelle “Jezzy” Munyiri is a two-time participant in the Frontier Area Rural Mental Health Camp and Mentorship Program—also known as F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P.—a project developed by Western Nebraska Behavioral Health and funded in part by BHECN.

The program seeks to identify and mentor rural students who are interested in future careers in behavioral health. Munyiri was able to direct the funding to BHECN and F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P. through her participation in the foundation’s Changemakers Program, which allows Panhandle youth to select impactful organizations to receive grant support.

“Jezzy is exactly the type of student our camp was designed for,” said Cate Jones-Hazledine, PhD, co-director of BHECN Panhandle and owner of Western Nebraska Behavioral Health. “When she reached out to ask about donating these funds to F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P., it was so meaningful—a validation of the relationships we build and what camp means to the students who attend.”

Munyiri said her own experiences with depression and anxiety in high school helped guide her toward F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P.

While at the camp, she connected with other students who shared her experiences and interests, as well as with professionals working in behavioral health. Her time at F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P. helped her realize she would like to pursue a career in the field. She plans to major in psychology in college.

Her high school guidance counselor later encouraged her to apply for the Snow-Redfern program, and once selected, she was offered the opportunity to direct foundation funds toward a program she felt would benefit her community.

She chose BHECN and F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P. because she wants others to have the same opportunities she had and because she hopes to help raise awareness about behavioral health issues and treatments in her area.

“My hope is that people in our area will take mental health issues more seriously,” Munyiri said.

The intent of the Changemakers Awards is to give participants – including youth – real resources to steward and award, said Sara Wilcox, executive director of the Snow-Redfern Foundation.

“At the Snow-Redfern Foundation, participatory grantmaking means shifting decision-making power to those closest to the issues, including young people themselves,” she said. “Jezzy used her voice, experience, and values to lift up work she believed in, and we were proud to support her decision.”

Support from the foundation helps F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P. in its goal of making the camp free for all who attend, Dr. Jones-Hazledine said.

“We are so grateful for Jezzy’s support,” she said.

That gratitude extends to the entire BHECN team, said Marley Doyle, MD, director of BHECN.

“Our staff was floored by Jezzy’s generosity and we were thrilled to hear she had such a powerful experience at F.A.R.M. C.A.M.P.,” Dr. Doyle said. “Stories like this are quite literally the reason we do the work we do at BHECN.”