History
On March 2nd, 2001, Kerry and Ginny Dennehy lost their 17-year-old son, Kelty, to depression. Their grief ignited a determination to help other children. From this, The Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation was born.
In 2009, the Dennehy’s suffered another heartbreaking tragedy with the loss of their daughter, Riley at age 22, while she was doing yoga studies in Thailand.
Amidst unimaginable losses, Ginny and Kerry, alongside the Foundation's board of directors and community of supporters and donors, remained steadfast in their mission to help youth access mental health support.
Over the years, The Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation has raised close to 8 million dollars, built Kelty Mental Health Resource Centers at both BC Children's and Lions Gate Hospital, and achieved countless other milestones for mental health support across the country. Now more than ever, we are committed to continuing on this trajectory to make a profound impact on the next generation.
Let’s turn things around.
The semicolon carries global recognition as a powerful symbol for mental health.
Grammatically speaking, a semicolon represents a pause. It means that the thought is not quite over even though the sentence is—there’s still more to come.
At the Kelty Foundation, we’re excited to turn things around. The upside down semicolon signifies the hope found in moving forward. It symbolizes taking action, fostering upward momentum, and funding mental health initiatives that take on a new, innovative lens.
It represents how breaking the norm means dismantling mental health stigma, increasing access as we would with any other health crisis, and promoting prevention resources and tools.
It is our affirmation of solidarity, resilience, and action in achieving progress for youth mental health across Canada and beyond.
