Foundation Events Feature Food, Golf, and Good Conversation

The American Psychiatric Foundation is hosting a series of events at APA's 2009 annual meeting in San Francisco in addition to a fashion show (see Original article: Helping Prevent Suicide Will Be Fashionable). Some of the events are fundraisers that support the foundation's grants, programs, research funding, and awards that advance public understanding that mental illnesses are real and treatable.

• “Benefit by the Bay”: The foundation will host its annual fundraising gala on Saturday, May 16, at 7 p.m. in San Francisco's historic Ferry Building, where guests will be treated to an evening of fine cuisine and views of the bay while supporting the foundation's efforts to improve the lives of those with mental illness. The evening's program also includes a silent auction and the presentation of the Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health.

The San Francisco Ferry Building is close to the Bay Bridge, on the Embarcadero at the foot of Market Street. The historic trolley cars (Line F–Market) stop directly in front of the building.

The Ferry Building, which was completed in 1898, was the city's bustling transportation center until the Golden Gate and Bay bridges were built in the 1930s. In 2003 an extensive renovation of the building was completed, and today it houses a world-class marketplace and offices with spectacular views. Its distinctive 245-foot-tall clock tower is modeled after the 12th-century bell tower in the Seville Cathedral in Spain.

The price of a gala ticket is $225, which includes dinner and entertainment. Tickets may be purchased online at<www.psychfoundation.org> or by phone at (703) 907-8503.

• Annual Golf Tournament: The Golfers of the APA (GAPA) will be holding a tournament at APA's annual meeting on Monday, May 18, on one of the nation's top golf courses, the Presidio. Those who wish to enter the tournament should download an entry form from<www.psychfoundation.org> or<www.gapagolf.org> and send the completed form with payment to Stan Jennings, M.D., by mail at 1000 Boulders Parkway, Suite 202, Richmond, Va. 23225; fax at (804) 320-2050; or by e-mail at [email protected].

The cost of the tournament is $195 per player. The fee includes transportation from and to the Moscone Center, a round of golf, golf cart, prizes, and a shirt. Updated information will be posted on the official GAPA Web site at<www.gapagolf.org>, and information on the Presidio is posted at<www.presidiogolf.com>.

• Conversations: Actress Maureen McCormick is this year's special guest at the foundation's annual Conversations event on Tuesday, May 19, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Exhibit Hall E in the Moscone Center.

McCormick played Marcia, the eldest, seemingly perfect daughter in the 1970s sitcom “The Brady Brunch.” In McCormick's case, however, real life did not imitate art. In her book released last year, Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, McCormick, 52, revealed that she suffered for many years from psychiatric problems. McCormick said she hit rock bottom during “The Brady Brides.” She was addicted to cocaine and Quaaludes and earned a reputation in Hollywood as being unreliable. She also suffered from depression and bulimia. In 2007, after having gained a lot of weight, McCormick became a contestant on“ Celebrity Fit Club” at her daughter's urging. The winner of the show's fifth season, she set a record for percentage of weight lost. She characterized her feelings of the experience as “cathartic” and started talking publicly about her other problems.

Attendance at the Conversations event is free to all annual meeting registrants and is made possible by a charitable contribution from AstraZeneca to the American Psychiatric Foundation.