What's Been Done So Far

To date, The Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation, with the ongoing generosity and support of donors, has raised close to $7 million dollars. These funds have been thoughtfully disbursed towards care, education and research projects aimed at making a difference in the lives of young people with mental illness.

Our contributions to-date have been:

$1 million dollars donated to build Canada's first stand alone "Mental Health Facility for Youth and Children" at BC Children's Hospital. The Foundation was the primary private donor of this facility.

$450.000, in 2006, to the "Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre." located in the Mental Health Building of BC Children's Hospital. The KMHRC mission is:
a. Improve upon the quality of programs and care for children and youth experiencing mental health issues
b. To provide current information and resources to families, children, youth and communities, and to increase the consultation and assessment capacity to all children in need of help through Tele-Mental Health.
c. Facilitate knowledge in care and health promotion/prevention among professionals through Tele-Mental Health.

$500,000 to support the establishment of a "Chair in Depression Research" at the UBC/VGH Centre of Excellence for Depression Research, lead by Dr. Allen Young, from Scotland, an expert in the field of depression and renowned for his research.

$160,000 to BC Crisis Centre to deliver suicide prevention and stress management workshops to youth, support the award winning www.youthinbc.com, a one-on-one chat line, and 1-800 phone lines for youths in distress. Funded BC Crisis Centre to create youthinwhislter.com.

$500,000 a second Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre within the HOpe Psychiatry and Education Centre at Lion's Gate Hospital in North Vancouver.
A visionary facility providing enhanced integration of both inpatient and outpatient mental health services, the HOpe Centre offers an unprecedented synergy of compassionate support and resources for those experiencing mental illness. One special feature of this support is the comprehensive information resource centre for individuals and families struggling with mental health issues. "We're hoping the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre becomes a focal point where people will not only be able to get resources about mental illness, but will also be able to gather and seek out others who are dealing with similar issues," says Ginny Dennehy. "Having funds available for community education is critical in helping all people understand the signs, symptoms and issues surrounding mental health."

$500,000, donated in July, 2014 to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation to fund the development of the Kelty Online Therapy Program at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) - an innovative set of online tools and services to expand support for patients and families impacted by mental illness.

The Kelty Online Therapy Service will offer both self-help and therapist-guided online programs that address common mental health issues. The programs will comprise a series of learning modules that use video, animation and interactive tools such as games, workbooks and role-plays. The modules will be available anytime to anyone, anywhere in the world.

The online therapy service will also provide interim support for patients waiting for referrals. It will give patients the flexibility to get treatment outside of regular business hours and from their homes. The on-demand access also means greater accessibility for individuals living in remote areas where counseling services are not as widely available or for those who are unable to leave the home.

Breathe Fore Life Scholarship, in-memory of Riley Rae Dennehy, this scholarship is awarded annually at the Victoria Yoga Conference to a teacher who wishes to further their knowledge and make a difference for people through their teaching.

$132,800 Enough is Enough Ride Across Canada, the funds raised within each province will be directed provincially to the operation of the Kelty Online Therapy Program.

$7,000 Stuff Getting You Down, Whistler Community Service Society. An awareness campaign to educate and connect youth and young adults living in Whistler to the community services available to assist them.

$8,000 Institute of Families 2014 Youth and Family Consensus Conference. This conference brought together youth and families with researchers, policymakers, service providers and educators to share knowledge and experiences about practices that best meet the needs of people living with mental health and or substance use challenges. KPDF believes in and encourages focused discussions on what youth and families need from each other, their communities and service systems to nourish today and in future generations.

$5,000 Talk at the Top, a day long, youth-driven initiative, organized by a collective entitled North Shore Youth 4 Mental Health, see's young leaders bring their peers from local high schools together with a goal of helping to reduce the stigma of mental health throughout the Sea-to-Sky Corridor.

$5,000 Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Mental Health Awareness Day, an educational day where Dr. Stan Kutcher presented, discussed and shared with students, teachers, and counselors' information on breaking down the myths and stigma of mental health.

$5,000 Black Tusk New Caledonia Pipe Band annually marches along with the Foundation in Whistler's Canada Day Parade. This partnership brings a special flare and charisma to the parade and assists to promote the Foundation and its cause.

$10,000 Kelty's Sandbox, The Worlds Largest Sandbox. In partnership with Passage Give, this event was created to raise money and awareness for children's mental health. Held at Second Beach in Stanley Park, Kelty's Sandbox created a community space where people came out, had fun, and learned more about the importance of mental health. The goal was to encourage Vancouver to better understand mental health and how it affects all of us.

$15,000 Scholarship In the early year's of the Foundation, the Board of Directors identified the need for additional counseling services in the Whistler Community. Greg McDonnell applied and received a scholarship to achieve his Master's in Education Counseling at the University of Victoria.

$30,000 Kelty and Riley Dennehy Scholarship through the Whistler Community Foundation; a scholarship awarded to a Whistler graduating student who demonstrates personal initiative in the area of mental health.

"The Foundation remains focused and determined to make great strides along this long journey for Canadian youth suffering from mental illness. We will continue to team with experts and professionals in the field of mental health to ensure that every dollar received has the greatest impact for youth today and tomorrow." Kerry and Ginny Dennehy