Walk for Hope 2017

Yardi Raleigh

By Erica Rascón on Nov 1, 2017 in Giving

The 29th Annual Thad & Alice Eure Walk for Hope united people from different paths for life for a single goal: discovering the causes of, and potential cures for, mental illness. More than 3,000 walkers participated this year including eleven Yardi team members.

Greg Smith, Vice President, Client Services and Raleigh’s General Manager, shared why he has participated in the event for multiple years. “In 2011 our office was rocked by the suicide of one of our most fun and energetic team members, Tim Owens.  Tim’s death put a spotlight on depression and mental health for me. In the days and weeks after, our team members came together to support each other and share.”

Mental illness affects as many as 1 in 5 American adults. It wasn’t until the death of Owens that Smith realized the scope of mental illnesses in the United States.

“It’s not just depression,” Smith reflected. “There’s PTSD, postpartum depression, eating disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety – the list goes on and on. But unlike when someone has cancer or arthritis, there’s a stigma associated with mental health. People are embarrassed, even though these are real health problems that can be diagnosed and in many cases treated.  The result of that stigma is that people don’t get help.”

“The Walk not only raises money for medical research, but it also raises awareness and gets conversations going,” said Smith.

All of the funds raised by participants directly benefits local mental health research at the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Psychiatry. To date, the organization has donated $5 million to 128 research grants. The grants leveraged an additional $145 million from the National Institute of Health. The nonprofit has also donated more than $320,000 to 36 local community service grants.

Yardi team members that participated in the event included Greg Smith, Emily Smith, Brian Smith, Cristina Craven, Pam Davison, Tahmeko McDonald, Trevor Hyde, Karen Bennett, Isabella Mitchell, Ronnie Sanders, and Jenny Moore.

“It was great seeing newer employees along with long-time employees,” said Smith. “Even Isabella from New York came down. We were all walking together and having fun.”

The fun lasted through the afternoon, despite the South’s infamous heat and humidity. “It felt good to raise awareness and money! We were all tired and hot but it felt good to participate in making a difference.”

Yardi is a corporate sponsor of Walk for Hope. In addition to that sponsorship, the Yardi Raleigh raised over $5000, including $1,500 from the New York office.

Yardi is Energized for Good! Join us by making a donation to Walk for Hope.