Event Will Honor Network of Nonprofit Partners Celebrating “Hope for Mental Health”

“Our goal is to highlight individuals and organizations making a positive difference on this issue and light the way forward on this chronic issue of crisis proportions — for now, and forever.”— Danita R. DeHaney, President and CEO, Community Foundation

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, January 9, 2023/ EINPresswire.com / -- The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, a not-for-profit organization that leads partnerships with donors, nonprofits and community members to solve the region’s chronic and emerging issues, is hosting its 10th Annual Founders Luncheon celebrating “Hope for Mental Health” on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 from 11:30am-1:30pm. The event, which will be held at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts’ Cohen Pavilion in West Palm Beach, will honor those on the frontlines of a universal issue affecting local lives: mental health.

The keynote speaker at the 2023 Founders Luncheon is Dr. Randy Blakely, Executive Director of the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute. Margaret C. Donnelley, Chairman Emeritus of the Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County, will be the event’s Guest of Honor and recipient of the Community Foundation’s McIntosh Award. Julie Fisher Cummings, Chair of the Board of Directors, and Danita R. DeHaney, President & CEO of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, will serve as co-hosts.

“In 1972, our founders, Winsome and Michael McIntosh had a dream: to inspire others to give where they live and close the opportunity gaps for good,” said Cummings. “Awareness and provision of mental health resources is one of those growing gaps, particularly coming out of the pandemic. That is why this year we are compelled to honor our origins and rally the community at our 10th Annual Founders Luncheon around ‘Hope for Mental Health.’”

“Our goal is to highlight individuals and organizations making a positive difference on this issue and light the way forward on this chronic issue of crisis proportions — for now, and forever,” added DeHaney. “As the Community Foundation celebrates our 50th anniversary, this year’s Founders Luncheon will demonstrate how philanthropy is powering our network of nonprofit mental health partners and providing hope for those who struggle — from the early years to the golden years.”

Blakely, who holds the David J. S. Nicholson Distinguished Professorship in Neuroscience and is a Professor of Biomedical Science in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU, became the founding Executive Director of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute in 2016. He also serves as the Director of the Neuroscience Graduate Program at FAU. Blakely received his B.A summa cum laude in Philosophy from Emory University, a PhD in Neuroscience from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and pursued postdoctoral training at the Yale/HHMI Center for Molecular Neuroscience. His research led to the cloning of genes that encode the brain’s major targets for antidepressant medications as well those targeted by addictive and therapeutic psychostimulants, including cocaine and amphetamine. As a testament to his passion for using research as a vehicle to inspire youth toward careers in science, Blakely received both a Lifetime Achievement Award in STEM Education from the Cox Science Center and Aquarium and the 2022 Neuroscience Educator Award from the Society for Neuroscience, the largest neuroscience society in the world.

Donnelley is the area’s undisputed philanthropic champion for mental health. Her long-standing leadership and support for organizations on the frontlines of this issue spans decades. She began volunteering at the Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County in 1968 and as Chairman Emeritus helped the organization establish a nonprofit endowment fund with the Community Foundation in 2018 to support its work in perpetuity. Similarly, she has helped the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Palm Beach County and the Autism Project to establish philanthropic endowments with the Community Foundation.

Event Sponsors include: Palm Health Foundation®, Lovelight Fund, The DiPaula Education, Empowerment and Enrichment Fund, Tiffany and Bill Meyer, Stoops Family Foundation, WLRN Public Media, Susan Brockway, Northern Trust, Findlay Galleries, The Palm Beach Post, LOCALiQ and Palm Beach Illustrated.

Individual tickets for the Founders Luncheon are $150; table and event sponsorships are still available. For tickets and additional information, please visit https://founders.yourcommunityfoundation.org or contact Brittany Malitsky at bmalitsky@cfpbmc.org or 561.340.4511.

About the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties
The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties is a nonprofit organization that leads philanthropy locally. The foundation provides charitable expertise and vehicles to increase the investment options on behalf of individuals, family foundations, and corporations. Since 1972, the foundation has distributed over $200 million in grants and scholarships aimed at closing the area’s opportunity gaps. With its vast network of donors and nonprofit partners, the foundation supports initiatives that improve youth and education, economic opportunity, thriving communities, and crisis preparation and response. Learn more at https://yourcommunityfoundation.org.

Melissa Perlman
BlueIvy Communications
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