The Counseling Center at First Christian Church believes people are more than their mental health concerns. The non-profit organization serves all ages throughout Henry County and the surrounding areas.
Sept. 8, the counseling center was awarded the 2026 Women’s Circle of Friends grant during the Henry County Community Foundation’s 13th annual Women’s Circle of Friends Grantmaking Gala, which took place at The Crossing on 38 in New Castle.
Henry County Community Foundation Development Officer Carrie Barrett welcomed the women attending.
“Regardless of how you came to be here this evening, or how long you have been attending, each of you are here because you care about our community,” Barrett said. “Together you are making a difference by providing an investment to change and strengthening our community.”
The mission of the women’s circle is to provide financial resources to a local non-profit organization for programs and projects that improve lives in Henry County. A women’s grant committee reviewed seven grant applications that were received from non-profit organizations and narrowed those down to three finalists: The Counseling Center at First Christian Church, Soulstride Sanctuary and New Castle Main Street.
Each woman attending the gala donated $50. Of that, 90 percent went directly into the grant pot while the remaining 10 percent went into the Women’s Circle of Friends Endowment Fund.
Each non-profit organization gave a presentation. After hearing all three presentations, audience members voted for which non-profit they thought should win.
The 90 percent collected from gala attendee donations was distributed among the three organizations: The Counseling Center at First Christian Church won the first-place award and received over $4,000; Soulstride Sanctuary received second-place and $800 and New Castle Main Street received third-place and $400.
The principal of the Women’s Circle of Friends Endowment fund is not spent. Instead, gifts are invested for growth and pay out a portion of earnings every year to support a program or project that helps to address issues that affect women and girls.
Over the past 13 years, including the Sept. 8 payout, the women’s circle has awarded $73,072 from a pass-through fund and instant grantmaking, as well $15,650 from the women’s endowment. That brings total funds awarded to $96,509.
The Counseling Center at First Christian Church
Danielle Rainey is the executive director and lead counselor at The Counseling Center at First Christian Church. The counseling center opened in the spring of 2024 and is located inside First Christian Church, 2000 Bundy Ave., New Castle.
The counseling center is a separate organization from the church. The church does not financially fund the counseling center. The center is operated primarily through individual donations, local partnerships, etc.
The organization provides free individual counseling, pre-marital/marital counseling, spiritual counseling, behavioral counseling and career/life coaching services. Counseling services are provided by board-certified Christian counselors, licensed mental health counselors, licensed professional counselors or certified addiction counselors. The counseling center does not diagnose or prescribe medication and counselors do not work outside their areas of expertise.
“Our approach is holistic, meaning we recognize that people are more than their mental health concerns,” Rainey said. “We seek to care for the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs of each person that we serve. At the same time, we respect every individual’s beliefs and their own spiritual journey. We welcome people of all faith backgrounds, including those who have no religious affiliation.”
Rainey spent 15 years working as a school counselor and saw firsthand the need for mental health services and the “heartbreaking reality” that many children and families can’t access the help they need. Many local schools refer students to the counseling center.
Rainey shared a few statistics from the Indiana Youth Institute about children and teens in the State of Indiana.
- 47 percent of Indiana high school students report symptoms of depression.
- 24 percent have seriously considered or planned committing suicide.
- Almost 16 percent have attempted suicide.
- 10 percent of children ages 3-12 have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
- 46.3 percent of children have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience.
Rainey said all 92 counties in Indiana are federally designated as mental health workforce shortage areas.
“Our primary goal is to remove as many of those barriers as possible so that people of all ages can access the care that they deserve,” she said. “Our services are completely free. We do not require insurance. We offer virtual appointments and appointment times outside of normal business and work hours. We even have members of our congregation who are willing to provide transportation to and from appointments if someone needed it.”
Since opening, the counseling center team has provided more than 400 free sessions. A grant previously awarded from the Henry County Community Foundation allowed the counseling center to remodel a room in the church for counseling services.
For more information about The Counseling Center at First Christian Church, call 765-529-2403 or email drainey @fccounselingcenter.org.
Soulstride Sanctuary
Lauren Lewis is a founder of Soulstride Sanctuary in Middletown. Soulstride Sanctuary is a community-minded horse rescue that was established a year ago.
“We focus primarily on giving draft horses, along with a few other horses in need, a safe place to land,” Lewis said. “Many of these horses have spent years working incredibly hard. And when they can no longer serve the purpose that was expected of them, their futures become uncertain. At Soulstride, we want to give them another option. For some, we may be a stepping stone along the way to their next chapter. For others, Soulstride will become their home until the end. Somewhere along the way, we realized that as we were creating a place for these horses to belong, we were really creating a place for people to belong.”
In its first year of operation, Soulstride hosted several events, including “Healing with the Herd,” which involved inviting practitioners to provide individual experiences through massage, chiropractic care, acupuncture and more. Soulstride hosts yoga events, painting with the ponies and day retreats.
“We’ve taken this first year day-by-day and have learned so much along the way,” Lewis said. “Rescue takes collaboration. Rehabilitation of these horses takes collaboration and honestly, keeping a non-profit running takes a whole lot of collaboration.”
Lewis cited expenses involved with the rescue such as hay, feed, veterinary care, bedding, fencing, trailers, etc.
“The outpouring of support we’ve received during our first year has been incredible,” Lewis said. “As we begin pursuing grant opportunities, we are excited about what that can mean not only for the horses, but for Henry County. When grants help us cover those foundational sanctuary needs, our programming doesn’t have to carry as much of a financial burden.”
Lewis has a background in child development and is drawn to creating opportunities for children.
“I love watching a child learn to make decisions about a 1,000-pound animal, develop confidence, take responsibility for another living being and realize just how much they are capable of,” she said, noting that the sanctuary also provides people with opportunities to slow down, reconnect with their bodies in nature and learn.
Soulstride is preparing to start a Junior Horse Club, which is an eight-week, hands-on horsemanship experience. The club is not a riding program. It teaches groundwork, grooming, horse behavior, stable management and holistic equine care.
A “Rollin’ For Rescues” fundraiser and chili cook-off is planned for Oct. 3.
For more information about programs and upcoming events, visit https://www.soulstridesanctuary.org/ or follow the rescue on Facebook.
New Castle Main Street
Think about your favorite holiday tradition growing up. Who were you with? What did it smell like? Women attending the Sept. 8 gala were asked these questions by Emily Hurst, executive director of New Castle Main Street.
“We don’t remember these things because they are extravagant or expensive,” Hurst said. “We remember them because they are opportunities to belong. Those are the moments that shape us. Those are the moments New Castle Main Street is aiming to create.”
Hurst said New Castle Main Street exists to create a thriving downtown by supporting businesses, preserving Main Street and creating a place where people want to spend their time.
Specifically, Hurst mentioned “Christmas at the Castle,” a seasonal event in which Christmas movies are shown at the historic venue. Last year, 6,000 residents visited the theatre.
“…for nearly a century, the Castle Theatre is has been where New Castle has gathered to laugh, cry, celebrate and escape,” Hurst said. “Christmas at the Castle continues this story for the next generation, creating traditions that today’s children will remember 30 years from now.”
Walking into the theatre reminds people of a Christmas lost in time, prompting images of families in matching pajamas, cousins holding hands, children waiting to visit Santa and the scent of fresh, buttered popcorn.
“We want the theatre to feel magical,” Hurst said, emphasizing Main Street’s commitment to maintaining affordable movie ticket prices while creating an experience the community deserves.
This year, showing movies at the Castle will cost just under $9,000 for four screenings. Movies scheduled this holiday season are “A Christmas Story,” “Elf,” “Scrooged” starring Bill Murray and the Jim Carrey version of “The Grinch.”
Besides Christmas at the Castle, other New Castle Main Street projects include a $2 million dollar grant from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs for historic preservation, as well as business builders, a free six-week course in partnership with the Indiana Small Business Development Center and “Sip Shop Savor,” which is low-cost downtown billboard advertising.
According to Main Street’s 2025 impact report, the organization logged 1,730.5 volunteer hours, which totaled $60,000 in added value to the downtown district. Additionally, 13 historic projects and 68 small businesses were supported.
In 2025, New Castle Main Street leveraged $645,409 in public and private investment.
For more information, call 765-465-0316 or email director@newcastledowntown.com.
Henry County Women’s Recovery Center
The 2026 recipient of the endowment fund was Henry County Women’s Recovery Center. Meagan Kraus is the organization’s executive director.
“Thank you for giving us this gift of this endowment fund,” Kraus said. “We are honored to be receiving this and very honored that what we are doing in the community is being recognized, seen and blessed.”
The women’s recovery center works with women who struggle with substance and alcohol abuse. This summer, the organization started a program working with teen girls.
“In these programs we do various coaching,” Kraus said. “One thing we do is brain re-wiring. We do this with the women and the teens. Brain re-wiring works with your trauma responses.”
Program participants learn how to regulate and get out of responses such as fight, flight or freeze.
“A lot of times these trauma responses are what drives the decision-making,” Kraus said. “For teens, it’s a lot of acting out … It really helps them get down to the reason of why.”
The program is designed to help individuals understand their bodies, their minds and their emotions. Forgiveness of self and others is also discussed, along with healing traumatic memories and overcoming false identities.
Women in the program meet with a recovery coach weekly and the teens meet with a mental health coach. There are also life coaching sessions and family engagement coaching with parent support groups.
Both women and teens participate in equine therapy.
“You can really feel safe when you are around a horse,” Kraus said. “It’s so much different than sitting in an office…”
A “Hope for the Next Generation” walk is planned at Oct. 10 at the Henry County Saddle Club in New Castle. The event begins at 10 a.m., with the walk starting at 11 a.m. The walk is self-paced and all individuals are welcome to participate.
Equine therapy horses will be at the event, along with a Henry County Women’s Recovery information booth. Fall drinks will be available for purchase. A teen program participant will be selling fall-themed glue-on nail sets that she decorates. Proceeds from the Oct. 10 event will help fund the teen program.
Additionally, an old cattle barn on Kraus’ property is being converted into what will become Amazing Grace Stables. The stables will have horses lessons, training, boarding and serve as a healing center for all women and provide equine therapy, inner healing and mental health coaching.
Kraus shared several personal testimonies and success stories from teens who have participated in the program.
“These are just beautiful girls, smart, intelligent girls,” Kraus said. “All they want is hope, joy and to be happy.”
For more information about Henry County Women’s Recovery Center, call 765-388-4108 or email info@hcwrc.com.
Gala Grams
Henry County women are invited to purchase “gala grams” for the 2027 Women’s Circle of Friends Gala. The $50 donation will provide a special woman with a ticket to next year’s event.
For more information about gala grams, contact the Henry County Community Foundation at 765-529-2235 or by emailing info@henrycountycf.org.
-Article by Katie Clontz, Editor of The Courier-Times
Thank you to the Courier-Times for allowing the Henry County Community Foundation to share this article.