Generous Gift Funds Two Foundation Programs
Abstract
The $419,000 donation to the APA Foundation from the Howard and Bunny Wallach Fund will go toward programs aimed at advancing mental health awareness and access.
The generous gift to the APA Foundation from the fund of long-time APA member Howard Wallach, M.D., and his wife, Bunny, will support programs aimed at ensuring minority and underserved populations have access to quality mental health care, says APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A.
A generous gift from the fund of a long-time APA member and his wife will support two APA Foundation programs for years to come.
The Howard and Bunny Wallach Fund donated $419,000 to the Foundation last year. The gift, which was made in addition to years of donations from the couple, will fund the Foundation’s Helping Hands Grants Program and the Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health for at least four years.
Howard Wallach, M.D., who died in 2013, practiced psychotherapy until 2010, according to his obituary, and served as president of the California Psychiatric Association. He was also one of the first members of the Foundation’s board of directors when it was established in 1990.
“We are enormously grateful to the Howard and Bunny Wallach Fund for this considerate contribution, which will support two vital programs aimed at ensuring minority and underserved populations have access to quality mental health care,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., who is also chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “Their kindness will directly benefit people with mental illness, whose voices may otherwise have gone unheard.”
Established in 2003, the Awards for Advancing Minority Mental Health recognize organizations that have taken innovative steps to raise awareness of mental illness in underserved and minority communities, increase access to care, and improve the quality of care for these populations. The awards include a $5,000 financial contribution. In 2019, six organizations were recognized.
The Helping Hands Grants Program, which was created in 2005, provides grants of up to $5,000. The grants are given to medical schools so students can develop projects to address issues related to mental and substance use disorders, particularly in underserved and minority communities. Since the program began, grants have been awarded to 102 recipients.
The Wallachs, who lived in Los Angeles, were extraordinarily charitable during their lifetimes, especially toward Jewish communities in Chicago and Los Angeles, and their fund has continued to support philanthropic activities in their memory. ■
