(August 12, 2021) -- The Burrell Foundation has partnered with businesses and communities to raise awareness and funding for behavioral health projects. The Foundation has already received more than $37,000 this year to support the services Burrell Behavioral Health offers and the clients who need them.
The Burrell Foundation serves as the charitable arm for the Community Mental Health Center and help fulfill unmet mental health needs within the Burrell system and surrounding communities. The Burrell Foundation’s mission is “to support the advancement of behavioral health and inspire hope in our communities through connection, advocacy and philanthropy.” You can learn more about the Burrell Foundation at www.burrellfoundation.org.
Gabrielle Martin was hired in November 2020 to serve as the Burrell Foundation’s first Executive Director. Martin is a Springfield native with more than 15 years of experience in marketing, communications and event management with previous employment at Hickory Hills Country Club, Southern Supply Companies, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Martin holds an M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communication from Drury University and a B.A. in Communication from the University of Tulsa.
In March, the Burrell Foundation introduced itself to the community by participating in Give Ozarks Day, a region-wide day of giving organized by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. In the 12-hour giving period, Burrell raised $12,352.63 to help completely renovate an outdoor activity area at its Cherry Street Youth Center for adolescents and teens in substance-use recovery services. A video describing the need for these improvements is available here. Supplemented by in-kind donations from H-Design Group/Perspectives, Advanced Exercise, Hood-Rich Architecture, Storee Construction Co., and Carson's Nurseries, the new space will change the way youth and teens relax and exercise following long days of group and individual services. Those renovations will soon be underway and are set to be complete by the end of the year.
Following Give Ozarks Day was NWA Gives (Northwest Arkansas Gives), which is a similar "giving day” for local charities in the Fayetteville/Rogers/Springdale corridor of northwest Arkansas. Through NWA Gives, Burrell raised $4,115 to fully outfit a new play therapy room for its Rogers Clinic. This space allows young clients to heal and grow in the language they know best – play. The improvements are part of a clinic-wide renovation project. A video framing this project can be seen here.
“We cannot thank our communities enough for their support,” Martin said. “When you donate to a local mental health foundation, you are opening the door for your neighbors, friends and loved ones to find quality, compassionate and affordable resources when they need them most. That means you’re changing – and potentially and saving – a life.”
Throughout the month of May, the Burrell Foundation partnered with several local businesses to boost support for mental health awareness month. Various Pricecutter stores throughout southwest Missouri – as well as HyVee locations in Columbia – participated in a charity checkout effort raising funds for the Foundation, as well as provided mental health resource cards for guests at all registers.
Among the new business partners was NoBaked Cookie Dough who donated a portion of its proceeds from the entire month toward the Foundation and its mission. To help celebrate and show appreciation for Burrell employees offering life-saving services, NoBaked brought their "dough-mobile" to Burrell’s Main Campus in Springfield to sell samples of the sweet treats. A video of that event is available here.
On May 7, the Burrell Foundation and Burrell Behavioral Health held the first ever Burrell Remembers event, commemorating National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. More than 250 community members gathered around Schaible Lake on Burrell's Main Campus for live music, food, games and children's activities aimed at promoting and starting conversations about mental health. The evening culminated with a beautiful and poignant water lantern vigil, in which attendees were invited to float landers in remembrance or in honor of someone who has died of or is living with a mental illness.
“Through the Burrell Foundation, we are creating communities that promote mental well-being and enrich lives,” Martin said. “I’m eager to help bring the immense need for behavioral health and addiction services to the forefront of philanthropy in Missouri and Arkansas, and to create opportunities for donors and businesses with a passion for mental health to support our efforts.”
The Burrell Foundation has partnered with local photographer Randy Bacon for a mental health awareness campaign titled “The Art of Being ME,” which is set to debut in May 2022. Individuals struggling with various forms of mental illness will tell their stories as an ongoing message that there is hope and resources for healing. The traveling art exhibit will launch in Springfield before traveling throughout the state and eventually across the country.
Additional initiatives in southwest Missouri as well as Burrell’s central Missouri and northwest Arkansas service areas will be announced in coming months as the Foundation continues to prioritize needs and make connections in those communities.
Anyone interested in finding out how to get involved with and support the Burrell Foundation can do so here.
About Burrell Behavioral Health:
Burrell Behavioral Health works with more than 40,000 clients across 25 counties in Missouri and Arkansas. Burrell has more than 150 licensed providers that offer a full continuum of care through our integrated network. Services include individual therapy and counseling, addiction recovery, psychiatric and medication management, educational and therapeutic groups, crisis intervention, adult stabilization, case management, residential treatment, diagnostic testing and evaluations and developmental disability support. Learn more about Burrell’s programs and services at www.burrellcenter.com.