Advancing mental health, for women, forever
Vera French, MD, PhD would be proud of the work continuing in her name.
The advent of the new Women’s Mental Health Endowment at Vera French, started at the Quad Cities Community Foundation, will not only honor Dr. French, but continue to provide resources for her life’s work: delivering community-based mental health services to all, including women in the Quad Cities community.
“This really has come full circle,” said Nathan Sondgeroth, executive director of the Vera French Foundation. “Dr. French sought to bring mental health illness out of the shadows. Our sincere hope is that this new endowment continues to help carry forward her legacy.”
The goal of the new endowment is to create and grow a permanent and reliable source of spendable interest to help fund women’s mental health initiatives in perpetuity.
Research from the American Psychiatric Association reports that, each year, one in five women in the United States struggle with their mental wellness and that twice as many women experience depression in their lifetime than men. And, there are barriers to mental health treatment for women—from economic barriers to a lack of time for support to the stigma associated with mental illness.
“Our mission is to advance mental health for all—and that starts with both raising awareness of how mental health problems impact everyone, and offering solutions with care and compassion,” noted Richard Whitaker, PhD, CEO at Vera French. “This endowment will allow us to carry that mission forward and specifically address an area of great need.”
Dr. Whitaker and his wife Miriam are also founding donors of the new endowment.
“One of the awesome opportunities—and responsibilities—in our philanthropic work is to ensure that members of our community have the adequate resources they need to live their best lives,” said Anne Calder, vice president of development at the Community Foundation. “Vera French has a goal of supporting women in our community, and we are so glad to partner with them so that people can gift to support their vision now—and in the long-term.”
That’s why it made perfect sense to partner with the Community Foundation to make that happen, Sondgeroth said.
“There is nothing quite like the Community Foundation,” he said. “It’s a community asset we are so lucky to have. The consistency and donor protections provide people important certainty, especially with bequests or other estate planning gifts. Donors can take comfort knowing that gifts made to this endowment will support local women’s mental health forever.”
Dr. French, who passed away in 2002, served on the Community Foundation board of directors many years ago. Her vision and legacy through at Vera French has continued through generations of dedicated professionals, including longtime Clinical Director Chris McCormick, ARNP, who retired from full-time practice in 2020 after 45 years.
In honor of McCormick’s work and retirement, Vera French organized a 45-day mental health challenge last year to bring awareness and resources to the area of mental health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of the funds raised—$10,000—was the seed money for the new endowment.
The Vera French Foundation also envisions an endowment for men’s mental health someday as well. “Our hope is that these endowments will allow us to have sources of funds to ensure that clinical best practices always drive the work our agency is able to do,” he said. “That, in turn, will impact lives in our region forever.”
Funding for mental health is a continual challenge. “Our hope is to always have the resources our clinicians need to deploy the things that work as soon as we know they work here in the Quad Cities community.”
To make a gift to the Women’s Mental Health Endowment for Vera French, visit our online donation portal here or contact the Community Foundation at 563-326-2840. To learn more about the Vera French Foundation, visit www.verafrenchmhc.org.