Point Park University’s Counseling Center Awarded $50K Grant to Expand Mental Wellness Initiative Monday, December 15, 2025
Dr. Cassandra Moffat, director of the University Counseling Center, talks with a student in her office. Photo by Evelyn Poulianov.
Point Park University’s Counseling Center (UCC) has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Citrone 33 Foundation to expand its Let’s Talk: PPU Mental Wellness Initiative. The award will fund programming, professional services, staff development and facility upgrades. Citrone 33 Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based philanthropic collective, focuses on strategic investments and social movements, particularly in education, health and human services.
“We’re honored to have received this significant award from the Citrone 33 Foundation,” said Cassandra Moffat, Psy.D., director of the UCC. “With enhancements to our services, we can expand outreach, professional training and trauma-informed resources well beyond our current capacity.”
The UCC serves a diverse student population, including first-generation, low-income and LGBTQ+ students. The initiative aligns with both the Citrone 33 Foundation’s mission and the university’s strategic plan to build community resilience, reduce stigma and promote lasting wellness.
Point Park Earns PA CARES Designation
In addition, Point Park was recently designated as a PA CARES Campus by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, an honor given to higher education institutions that have adopted student mental health and suicide prevention plans.
Point Park's suicide prevention plan includes a wealth of information about resources on and off campus for both those struggling with suicidal thoughts and friends who are trying to help.
The UCC has established initiatives such as Mindfulness Mondays, College Canines and Lights for Life. The Citrone 33 grant funding allows the university to scale these initiatives, address service gaps and ensure equitable access to care across the student body.
“With 77% of college students nationwide reporting moderate to severe psychological distress, having the ability to expand and enhance the services we offer will make a significant difference in the number of students we can serve, and the mental health tools we can offer,” Moffat said.
Suicide-Prevention Boxes "Anchor People to Life"
As part of its suicide-prevention efforts, the UCC continues to make Anchor Boxes available.
The small blue boxes are full of tangible reminders that life is worth living. They include items such as stickers, a pin, a deck of
cards full of reasons to live and posters.
“The idea is to leave these anchors in places where people can access them if they’re in a space of contemplation or worry,” said Laura Hoffman, a staff clinician in the UCC. “These boxes ‘anchor’ people to life.”
The UCC received about 25 boxes two years ago, and staff have been steadily placing them in public areas around campus.
This year, the UCC is partnering with a few Pioneer Ambassadors — upperclassmen who guide first-year students through orientation and other welcoming events throughout the fall semester — to promote them. The Pioneer Ambassadors are posting about the Anchor Boxes on their social media and choosing a meaningful place to leave one.
“The Pioneer Ambassadors are already caring and shepherding the incoming freshmen for a period of time,“ Hoffman said. “So it’s a great way to start the year off with, ‘Hey, the UCC is here to support you. Here are some of our campus resources.’"
With the grant in place, the university is poised to expand those resources, offering additional support to students.
Learn More about Mental Health Initiatives
Out-of-the-Darkness Walk Raises Suicide Awareness
Pioneer Pause Gives Campus Community a Day of Rest
