00:00
Sophs Magnanini
Oak City Move is a podcast on WKNC 88.1 FM HD1 Raleigh, where we highlight people and organizations creating positive change in the Triangle and beyond. Oak City Move can be heard on air every Other Monday on 88.1 FM HD1 Raleigh or online at WKNC Listen for episodes and more information, go to our blog at WKNC or follow us on SoundCloud at wknc8801.
00:32
Autumn Smith
Good morning listeners. My name is Autumn Smith and thank you for listening to WKNC 88.1. May is mental Health Awareness Month, and last week I got to sit down with Executive Director Jennifer Gibson of the foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness to discuss the $1.5 million Hope in Action campaign launched on May 1. The Raleigh nonprofit partners with UNC Chapel Hills psychiatry department to deliver grants and funding to research various mental illnesses. The foundation hosts multiple annual events, most notably the Walk for Hope, which is continuing its 38th year this October. The following interview discusses the Foundation's mission and the significance behind highlighting mental health awareness. Please enjoy.
01:12
Autumn Smith
Could you please state your name as well as your role with the foundation of Hope?
01:16
Jennifer Gibson
Sure. I'm Jennifer Gibson and I'm the Executive Director of the foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness.
01:22
Autumn Smith
What is your role like with the foundation?
01:26
Jennifer Gibson
As the Executive Director, I oversee all of the daily operations of the foundation of Hope. So and as a nonprofit, that means wearing a lot of hats every day. So everything from strategy to event logistics to donors stewardship and management to fundraising and, you know, administrative support and everything in between.
01:49
Autumn Smith
How did you get your start with the foundation?
01:51
Jennifer Gibson
So I joined the foundation of Hope seven years ago and previously to that I was actually with the Department of Psychiatry at unc, which is the recipient of the grant funds from the foundation of Hope. So I've actually been involved with the Walk for Hope at the foundation since 2012, but moved over here in 2019 to the foundation of Hope. And it's so exciting to be a part of the fundraising side of this and get to connect with all of our donors on such a personal level and be able to help show them where their money is going and the impact that it's helping to make through this innovative mental illness research that's being done over at unc.
02:31
Jennifer Gibson
It's really cool to be able to bridge the gap and make the connection between the research that's being funded and the researchers and the investment that not only that, the donors are Giving or helping to make through their gifts to the foundation of Hope and really making that connection and showing that impact. People are really interested in where their dollars are going and the research that's being funded.
02:53
Autumn Smith
Absolutely. With your experience as well in psychiatry, I wasn't familiar with that personally. So you've been on both sides of this campaign with foundation of Hope.
03:02
Jennifer Gibson
Exactly. It's nice to be able to maintain those connections to our researchers over there in the department, but also then now be on the funding side as well.
03:11
Autumn Smith
So with your background in psychiatry, do you have significant feeling towards mental health that has compelled you towards being part of the foundation?
03:20
Jennifer Gibson
Oh, that's a big question. But I mean, I think truly, if you talk to. Everybody has a mental health story, right? You know, everybody is touched by mental health. It doesn't discriminate by age or gender or socioeconomic status or where, geographic location, anything. We all have. We all have a personal story. And whether it's ourselves or our family members or, you know, loved ones, colleagues, friends, and, you know, and so I think that's what drives us. You know, it's what makes us so incredibly passionate about what we do is, you know, the seeing the impact of the work and the research and knowing that we're really being able to help make a difference, not only for ourselves, but for our loved ones and for the next generations. You know, it's really incredible.
04:01
Jennifer Gibson
The foundation of Hope was founded over 42 years ago at a time when nobody talked about mental illness. You know, nobody wanted to admit that there. There was anything wrong or that some. A family member was struggling. And so it's been really incredible to see the swell of support and change and this sort of tide of momentum that we're seeing now of people recognizing the importance of mental health and how integrated it is with your mind and your body. You know, I mean, how many times somebody, you know, you've woken up anxious for a test and physically had struggled to breathe or had that churning in your stomach. You know, it's. It's amazing how connected the two are.
04:41
Jennifer Gibson
And people are, I think, really just starting to realize that and really recognize that you have to take care of your mental health in order to take care of your physical health as well. And that's coming out of the COVID pandemic. I think people have really started to see and recognize that it's okay to not be okay, and it's okay to talk about it and that it's important to talk about it and really help sort of dispel the stigma that still exists around mental health and mental illness. And that's something that the foundation has been championing for over 40 years in that space. But it's really exciting to see. And then you've got these incredible new advocates and change makers like you, Autumn, that are having these conversations and really helping to drive this change forward in a big way for future generations.
05:28
Jennifer Gibson
And it's just going to be amazing to see what you all are able to accomplish and do with that.
05:34
Autumn Smith
Absolutely. It's a really powerful measure, especially since the COVID pandemic. I think that's a really good point. Would you say you've seen more people volunteering, donating, otherwise getting involved with the foundation of Hope?
05:46
Jennifer Gibson
I think we have seen a lot more people getting involved. I think the more that people are willing to step up and share their story, the more that we're seeing that, you know, we're a small foundation right here in Raleigh. We have six employees. We're. We're small but mighty, for sure. And, you know, but so we rely heavily on volunteers all throughout the year, not just for our events. And it is really incredible to see how many people are willing to give of their precious time and energy to come help support our mission.
06:16
Jennifer Gibson
Whether it's, you know, helping us in the office all year round or showing up at our Walk for Hope event at the Angus Barn every fall and being out there and you know, being a part of that incredible 4,000 person community event that really, you know, shows that those who are struggling with mental illnesses are not alone and that there are people that stand with them. So I do think we are sort of seeing that reflected not only in our fundraising support, but also in people's engagement as well, which is really cool.
06:46
Autumn Smith
That's really beautiful. As someone who's been living in Raleigh for half my life, I've definitely been noticing more and more people talk about this kind of thing and get involved with it. So it's really cool to see that the foundation of Hope is one of the benefactors of that. Going further into the foundation of Hope's direct actions, you guys launched the Hope in Action campaign earlier this month and alongside it announced another $1.5 million grant to be distributed across the Department of Psychiatry at UNC Chapel Hill. What immediate impacts are you guys expecting to see with this campaign?
07:18
Jennifer Gibson
Oh, we're so excited about this. So, as you know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And so for the entire month of May, we launched this Hope in Action campaign that just again wants to connect people with the impact of the dollars that they're doing and show how small amounts of money, even $31 for the 31 days of May, can really add up and go towards a seed grant. So what the foundation of Hope does and as well talk about is we fund what we call seed grants for mental illness research at the Department of psychiatry at UNC. And these are small grants, somewhere around 50, 60 thousand dollars, maybe a little bit more, up to 100, 200 thousand dollars to innovative research studies for young investigators that are trying to get these studies off the ground.
08:05
Jennifer Gibson
They'll go to the NIH or other big funding organizations and say, hey, I've got this really cool idea that hasn't been tested before. And the NIH will say, well, you need some data to show us that it's viable. And they say, well, I need some money to get data. And it's this bad cycle, right, of not being able, not having enough money and not having enough data. So what the foundation of HOPE does is we fill that gap by funding these really innovative, cutting edge studies from young investigators who are looking to launch careers in psychiatric research. And so what those studies do then is once they've completed, then they take that data and that information and they go on to say, hey, look, I told you this was viable.
08:43
Jennifer Gibson
And then they get these big grants and go on and launch these big careers and these new lines of study and these new research. And so it's really incredible. So the $1.5 million that we announced this year is so exciting. That's the most we've ever approved in research funding for one year. And so that's going to go to 12 different research grants at UNC Chapel Hill in the Department of Psychiatry. And that's everything from autism to eating disorders to schizophrenia to postpartum depression and even into all sorts of other areas. What it does is it gives these incredible grants, incredible studies, a chance to get off the ground and move the field forward in advanced science that wouldn't otherwise be funded. Especially in this funding landscape, that's a little bit. That's much more challenging nowadays for researchers than it has been.
09:28
Jennifer Gibson
So having an organization like the foundation of Hope and those that support us through campaigns like the Hope in Action campaign this month, know that their 100% of their dollars are going directly to funding this new research is really incredible because they're going to be able to see the effects of this long term over the years and how it moves the field forward and really does improve patient care and help families and kids and Teens when they need it and where they need it.
09:54
Autumn Smith
Historically, because you guys have been yearly giving out these sort of grants to UNC Chapel Hill Psychiatry. Do you have any personal stories you've seen of whether donors or people dealing with mental health seeing the outcomes of these grants?
10:08
Jennifer Gibson
Yeah, absolutely. Those who have participated in our Walk for Hope before have helped us fund these incredible research grants, not only for, you know, specific research studies, but to help build some programs, too. And we have an incredible program over at UNC Chapel Hill that the foundation helped fund called the Women's Mood Disorder Program. And through the Women's Mood Disorder Program, one of the researchers there was part of a clinical trial a few years ago that helped create the first therapeutic drug that helped, I mean, ostensibly cure postpartum depression for women who were struggling severely. And so that is now further. It's been FDA approved, it's available. They're moving it. It's actually out of clinical trial stage and is moving in different areas.
10:54
Jennifer Gibson
And so it's really incredible to be able to say, okay, we helped fund this program, we helped fund these research grants, and then now all of a sudden, we have this actual effect on patient care. At our Walk for Hope, for example, if you talk to anybody at our Walk for Hope, you will see that the effect of what they are able to do with their dollars by supporting the walk coming in, knowing that their dollars are going 100% to research, makes a huge difference. We see people that join the Walk for Hope and then want to come in as a sponsor and then come to our events and then want to give in a research studies and over the years, that just compounds and leverages in the same way that our SEED grants do.
11:32
Jennifer Gibson
And so it's really incredible to see how everything grows and how people continue to get more and more involved every year and more comfortable sharing their stories and talking about, you know, what it is that drives them and their why. As we say, there are quite a few NC State students and NC State fraternities that support the foundation of Hope. And so it's really incredible to have the young generation, you know, out there and being a part of this, because you guys are the ones that are being, you know, affected in these ways. You guys were deep in it with the COVID pandemic, you know, with the effects of the isolation and the. The anxiety and the fear and everything. And then here you are in this, and it's already sort of this tumultuous time right in life.
12:14
Jennifer Gibson
And then you add, you know, you compound the effects of mental illnesses on top of that. And we all know that there's not enough services, there's not enough providers, there's not enough care. And there hasn't been historically enough science to move the field forward because we can't keep treating people with the same solutions. They clearly don't work right, or they're just not enough. And so you've got to move the field forward and you've got to invest in the research in order to really help people going forward.
12:41
Autumn Smith
It fascinates me the social and scientific relationship of how college students and people involved with these colleges across North Carolina contribute to this cause. Just both being aware of mental health and being able to invest in the people who are the most equipped to look into these very, like, unique and new ideas for mental health treatment.
13:03
Jennifer Gibson
It's really true. You know, you're the generation, I think, that we're seeing now, you know, of young people, kind of this college, you know, late high school, early college generation, are incredibly motivated and to not only make a change, you know, and really make a good impact on society and to really make a difference for people, but they're also seeing the effects of the. The terrible weight of mental illnesses on themselves and their friends. You know, I mean, NC State alone has had more than its fair share of horrible tragedies because of mental illness over the past few years. And I think they're not alone in that. You know, it's not, you know, just NC State. I mean, UNC Chapel Hill has the same and every school has the same. And it's tragic that there's just so many young people that feel that way.
13:49
Jennifer Gibson
But it's so also, so invigorating to see how people are sort of taking up that mantle and saying, hey, we don't want this to keep happening. We're going to make a difference. For example, one of the fraternities at NC State is Sigma PI, and they put on a run every spring called the Break the Silence in support of the foundation of Hope. And it's in honor of one of their fraternity brothers who had died by suicide years ago. And it's incredible. They do an amazing job putting on this community event of their own and really drumming up support for that and then coming out and volunteering all year and being a. Being an active part of the foundation of Hope.
14:27
Jennifer Gibson
You know, like I said, just having these conversations and just saying, and highlighting organizations like ours and, you know, that are working in the space, you know, to really, you know, try and tackle this critical societal issue that we have of mental health. It's really cool to see, you know, the, you know, people like you that are just saying, hey, we're not going to stand for this. So this is okay. We're going to really start highlighting and shining a spotlight on these issues and we're going to make some changes here and really help that not only for ourselves, but then for the next people that are coming up behind us too, you know, and so, and it really does make a difference year over year. And so it's just, it's so exciting.
15:05
Jennifer Gibson
But no, I appreciate the fact that you guys are spotlighting organizations like ours and talking about mental health because it really, the more we talk about it, the more stigma we're going to be able to break down, for sure. It's very empowering, I think, for people and very healing for people, too, you know, especially those that are struggling, you know, or had their family has struggled, you know, in some capacity. It can be very therapeutic to have to know that you're surrounded by people like you said that all care deeply about supporting you and this mission in a big way. So it's really special.
15:35
Autumn Smith
Thank you so much for joining today. It's been really meaningful to have you on to be able to talk about this.
15:41
Jennifer Gibson
Well, Autumn, thank you for having me today. We are so grateful that you're highlighting mental health during Mental Health Awareness Month and the foundation of Hope. People can visit our website at walkforhope.com if they want to get more information or to get signed up.
15:53
Autumn Smith
That was Jennifer Gibson, the executive director at the foundation of Hope here in Raleigh, speaking about the Hope in Action campaign that gave $1.5 million to researchers at UNC Chapel Hills Psychiatry Department. As mental health becomes a more prominent topic in the Triangle, it is important for people to be aware of the effects of mental illness and the resources available to take them on. If you or a loved one is struggling with a mental health crisis, it is best to reach out for help. NC State provides counseling for students, but further suggests the 988 suicide and crisis.
16:22
Autumn Smith
Hotline as a valuable resource available to anyone who needs it.
16:25
Autumn Smith
Thank you so much for tuning in. This has been Autumn smith with WKNC 88.1 FM.
16:31
Sophs Magnanini
Thank you all for listening to Oak City Move. If you're interested in listening to this episode again or to past episodes of the show, you can go to WKNC podcast and make sure to tune into our show every Monday on WKNC at 8.1 FM Raleigh. Have a great day!
