Mental Health America
When I work on funding, I don't work for just this year; I work to ensure that MHALC is here for years to come.
Mental health needs are constant, and sustainable funding is critical. Mental Health America of Lancaster County (MHALC) has offered diverse programming and ongoing support for approximately 12,000 people facing chronic and debilitating mental health challenges each year.
As Executive Director of MHALC, Kim McDevitt is working to build an endowment that ensures MHA can continue to serve beyond any single leader’s tenure, reducing the organization’s reliance on constant fundraising.
“Money is thrown at the mental health system as an afterthought, so it doesn’t allow the mental health system to strategize and build because [we’re] always working in a state of [scarcity],” Kim said. “Having an endowment is another way of securing the future stability of MHALC.”
As she looks to the future, Kim envisions MHALC as a centralized, non-clinical hub for mental wellness. She hopes the endowment will make it possible for the organization to continue becoming a place that supports diverse needs across the mental health spectrum.
“When I work on funding, I don’t work for just this year; I work to ensure that MHALC is here for years to come,” Kim said.
With sustainability and longevity in mind, Kim sees the endowment as a way to provide additional support for people on the front lines of care, in an industry that can be prone to burnout.
“The pay rates for staff in mental health, because of the way it’s funded, is always very low,” Kim said. “We hire people that have a lot of grit because you’ve got to have grit to be in this field.”
From Kim’s perspective, working with the Forever Lancaster team to grow the organization’s endowment was aligned with MHALC’s determination to care for its clients and staff.
“There’s an energy force in this community that really creates goodness [and] you can really feel [that] it’s a community,” Kim said. “The Lancaster County Community Foundation [does] a good job of protecting that [and] ensuring that the values of Lancaster County are fulfilled.”
While mental health challenges may persist, the endowment ensures that MHALC can continue providing the highest level of care, support, and advocacy for adults, teens, and children across Lancaster County.
