HIKE for Mental Health Raises $1,500 for Trail Conference

HIKE for Mental Health, a New Jersey 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has presented the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference with a check for $1,546.80. The funds were raised on seven hikes conducted in 2012.

“While our focus is mental health research,” explains HIKE for Mental Health co-founder Leo Walker, “we designate a fifth of what we raise to preserve wilderness trails. We are proud to present our 2012 trail preservation award to the Trail Conference.”

In presenting the check, HIKE for Mental Health vice-president Tom Kennedy stated, “We are inspired by your more than 90-year track record of developing, building, and maintaining hiking trails, protecting hiking trail lands through support and advocacy, and educating the public in the responsible use of trails and the natural environment.”

Accepting the donation for the Trail Conference was Don Weise, Director of Development & Membership. “We are thrilled that HIKE for Mental Health selected our organization as the recipient of its 2012 award. Without support from benefactors and volunteers we would not be able to maintain the 1,850 miles of public trails under our care.”

HIKE for Mental Health was founded in 2011 to raise awareness of and funds for scientific research into major mental illnesses like schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. The main beneficiary of its 2012 fundraising hikes was the Great Neck, NY-based Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, which received a check for $6,187.20.

For more information about HIKE for Mental Health and to see the 2013 hike schedule, visit www.hikeformentalhealth.org.