The Blenk family, developers of the master-planned community of Wilden in Kelowna’s north end, have devised a unique approach to give back to the community in support of long-term youth mental health care.
The master-plan for Wilden sees a project spanning four decades and takes into careful consideration both the mechanics of the neighbourhood- roads, lot size and home type- and but how people will live there over time. Wilden is home to hundreds of families of all ages and stages, including the Blenks – three generations of them.
Karin Eger-Blenk and her brother, Martin Blenk, are now the second generation to manage the family business. “Once we began reflecting on the important role community plays as a cornerstone of healthy living,” says Karin, “the decision to direct parts of our profit towards the future of the youngest citizens felt very much aligned with our core family values.”
A series of personal experiences - young people who’d lost their battle with depression or got stuck in despair and couldn’t make sense of the world and their place in it – motivated the Blenks to look seriously at the issue of youth mental health and, ultimately, take action. The result took shape as a master-plan for giving that would address the acute needs of youth struggling with their mental health today, while holding space for the more complex, systemic work needed to truly turn the tides on the youth mental health crisis.
In 2019, the Blenk family established two very specific funds with the KGH Foundation; one that supports immediate needs and an endowment - a sizeable gift whereby profits from the interest will be invested in future initiatives in perpetuity. While the establishment of endowments to support non-profit organizations is not new, the Blenks approach to giving demonstrates ‘outside the box’ thinking for individual or family gifts. Endowments provide a sustainable resource of funding to really move the needle on systemic, long-term challenges to the health system, and provide opportunity for investment in big picture initiatives like research and innovation.
The Blenk family also organizes fundraisers – the emphasis here is on fun! The largest one is the Wild One Run. “We invite everyone to run or hike through the Wilden back country with us- all fitness levels, all ages, even the little ones, and dogs of course. We have a blast and all proceeds go to the cause. This fall we hosted the run in a virtual format and the participation was overwhelming!” Even virtually the 2020 Wild One Run raised over $8,000, which Blenk Development Corp. generously matched.
Knowing that that youth and families navigating some of the most difficult times of their lives are being supported, and will continue to be supported in their healing provides a source of hope for the Blenks. “It is essential that we make youth mental health a priority, not just put people in charge for it,” says Karin. “My hope is that by raising awareness around the mental health crisis we will get to a point where we all agree to protect youth best we can.”