Mental Health Awareness Month

The H.O.P.E. Fund and BuildingHOPEGrand.com

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to elevate the conversation around mental health, reduce stigma, and ensure that individuals and families know where to turn for support. At the Grand Foundation, this mission is a priority and it’s why we created the H.O.P.E. Fund (Healing Opportunities through Prevention Efforts).

Grand County has been deeply impacted by the mental health and addiction crisis. In response, our community came together in a powerful way. Memorial funds established in honor of those we’ve lost became the foundation for a lasting commitment to prevention, access, and care through the H.O.P.E. Fund.

Since its inception, the H.O.P.E. Fund has allowed us to take meaningful action. We have helped individuals access critical mental and behavioral health services, supported continuing education for local providers to strengthen the quality of care available within the county, and invested in solutions that address both immediate and long-term needs.

One of the most impactful initiatives to come from this fund is BuildingHOPEGrand.com, a resource we developed to serve as a centralized hub for mental and behavioral health services. We recognized that even when support exists, navigating the system to find care can be overwhelming. Building HOPE Grand was created to simplify that process—connecting residents across Grand County, with the resources, programs, and providers available within and nearby Grand County.

This platform is more than a directory—it’s a reflection of our commitment to making mental health support more accessible and visible in our community. It was inspired by a grassroots effort of individuals who saw firsthand the consequences of limited access and awareness of care and wanted to create change. The website now has an education page with mental health professional recommended resources. We are proud to carry that vision forward through both the H.O.P.E. Fund and Building HOPE Grand.

If you or someone you know needs support, we encourage you to explore BuildingHOPEGrand.com and take that first step toward care and education. Through the H.O.P.E. Fund, we also offer individual grants that can help cover the cost of services, provider grants that support continuing education to strengthen the quality of care in our community, and access to free office spaces that allow both out-of-county and in-county providers to build and sustain their practices locally—expanding access to care across Grand County.

Explore BuildingHOPEGrand Today

The H.O.P.E. Fund and BuildingHOPEGrand.com

Provider Office Space Brings HOPE

Christina Devore didn't plan to build a life in Grand County. Originally based in Denver, she moved unexpectedly to provide therapy for Winter Park Resort employees while building her private practice, Radiant Dawn Therapy.

"I didn't have the finances to get myself an office in Grand County," she shared. "Even when I got to the point where I was ready, finding office space was very, very difficult. Everything is so expensive."

This challenge is common among behavioral health providers in mountain communities, where commercial space costs can make it nearly impossible to establish a practice before building a sustainable client base. Through the H.O.P.E. Fund, the Grand Foundation's free office space program was designed to bridge that gap — giving providers a place to begin without immediate overhead costs.

For Christina, the Winter Park office became exactly that: a stepping stone. Specializing in nature therapy and in-person care, having a physical space was essential. Unlike Denver, she quickly found that Grand County clients strongly preferred meeting face-to-face.

"That space allowed people to feel comfortable and gave me the ability to provide that care," she said.

Today, Christina operates from her own private office in downtown Winter Park, serving resort employees and local residents who might otherwise struggle to access care. She notes that affordability remains a major barrier for both providers and clients.

"A lot of therapists leave the county because it's so hard to stay here. Clients tell me they've gone through multiple therapists because providers can't afford to continue practicing here long-term."

That reality is why the Grand Foundation continues investing in behavioral health through the H.O.P.E. Fund, helping residents access care and providers build lasting practices. Christina's story illustrates the long-term impact these resources have on the entire community.