HANCOCK COUNTY — As Nancy Davis has been spreading the word about the Hancock Health Foundation’s efforts to raise $3.5 million to create an endowment for mental health care, one thing has become clear: mental health and substance abuse strikes close to home for almost everyone.

“Wherever we go, it seems everyone has their own experience or knows someone who has needed help. That’s been really eye-opening,” said Davis, who is leading the fundraising efforts as the foundation’s executive director.

The foundation is striving to raise $3.5 million for its mental health and substance abuse endowment, which would be set up to expand and sustain local services into perpetuity.

Davis said the goal is to make mental health services readily available to everyone, expanding programming and increasing the number of mental health care and health navigators who support those in need.

The foundation first introduced the fundraising goal in January 2020, just weeks before the COVID pandemic would start to push mental health issues to the forefront.

While private fundraising and donations have gotten the foundation more than 75 percent towards the goal over the past two years — raising $3,060,000 so far — just under a half million dollars still needs to be raised.

“We still have a ways to go,” said Davis.

On Nov. 29 — which was Giving Tuesday — the foundation officially opened the campaign up to the public, launching a social media blitz and sending out thousands of letters in an effort to reach its goal.

“We really want to reach out to everyone in the community. Truly every gift matters,” Davis said.

Just last month, the foundation secured a $25,000 matching donation from Dave’s Express Care Carwash & Grill in Greenfield, which enables donors to have their contributions matched when giving to the mental health care fund through Dec. 31 this year.

“That was a big boost for us,” said Davis, who hopes a big community outreach push through the end of this year will help increase donations as well as awareness of how much mental health support is needed locally.

“The awareness is equally as important as the dollars,” she said.

Mental health services “just aren’t available in most places in the country, because it’s expensive and the biggest part of it is not covered by insurance,” said Davis.

Local nonprofit directors have shared their perspectives on the mental health crisis through the Hancock Health Foundation’s website, providing insight as to how the shortage of services is impacting those they serve.

“The majority of people struggling with substance abuse have an underlying issue of mental illness that’s either never been diagnosed or not correctly treated. And to get our young people in to see a counselor, the wait is long,” said Linda Ostewig, director of The Landing Place, which supports young people struggling with substance abuse.

Andrea Mallory, director of the local homeless shelter Hancock Hope House, said the local community currently lacks the services and the manpower to help all those in need.

“We’re getting phone calls now (from people who) might be suicidal, and we don’t have the staff we need to sit next to this phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week — to even be able to service the people who are calling in now,” she said.

Davis hopes that’s all about to change, as the foundation pushes toward its fundraising goal in an effort to enhance and expand local mental health services.

“There’s so many things surrounding the need. All you have to do is turn on your TV to know that there’s a dire need for increased capacity for mental health and substance abuse services across the country,” she said.

While still short of the $3.5 million goal, Davis said she’s pleasantly surprised that the foundation is so close, given the fact COVID protocols disrupted face-to-face fundraising efforts over the past two years, and that inflation has negatively impacted charitable giving.

“We were very fortunate to have a good number of volunteers to help us reach out in the community for this campaign, because they’re passionate about this care. The one-on-one conversations they’re having really make a difference,” she said.

Joel Hungate counts himself among them. While he never anticipated his family would become public advocates for mental health awareness, that all changed when his mother died by suicide in 2016 at the age of 52.

Lisa Muegge was a beloved community servant who started the Feast of Plenty campaign at the Hancock County Fairgrounds, where thousands continue to receive hot meals each Thanksgiving Day.

Her unexpected death rocked the community nearly seven years ago, but her family has found purpose in championing for increased mental health awareness and services in the county she long called home.

Hungate, his brother AJ Muegge and stepfather Jeff Muegge have all lent their voice to the Hancock Health Foundation’s mental health endowment campaign.

Hungate was transparent in sharing that life will never be the same after losing his mom.

“What I miss the most is not so much what we had, but what she’s not here for,” he’s quoted as saying. “We just had twins a year and half ago, and it’s just wrenching to think that she didn’t get to hold these babies and be the grandma she was going to be.”

Jeff Muegge shared his own thoughts on the importance of mental health awareness and treatment.

“We have some of the best care for cancer patients, but people with mental health issues are viewed differently and treated differently,” he said, “and it should never be that way.”
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