1984: The Foundation of Hope was formed by Thad and Alice Eure after their son, Thad, was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder in 1975. The Eures experienced firsthand the plight of the mentally ill and the lack of information and treatment surrounding mental illness. They quickly realized that advances in scientific research were critically important to understanding the causes of, and potential cures for, mental illness.

The first grant was given to Dorothea Dix Hospital Clinical Research Unit for $10,000.

The first Walk, called the Thad Eure Jr. Walk for Hope, began with approximately 200 participants earning about $20,000. The walk stretched 12 miles, beginning at the Angus Barn Restaurant and finishing at the 42nd Street Oyster Bar in downtown Raleigh. Many people helped coordinate the first Walk for Hope, and little did they know how much it would do to enhance and enlighten the Triangle community’s understanding of mental illness.

That same year, the Foundation surpassed the half-million-dollar mark of grants. Van remains the chair today.

Before this point, the Foundation of Hope was run by the Board and volunteers.

The first fundraising gala for the Foundation took place at the home of Alice Eure. 750 invitations were delivered in person. After opening a purple ribbon box, each recipient found a jeweled hand-painted egg, and inside the egg, the invitation. 380 guests at $150 each were treated to the swankiest event Raleigh had seen in years.

The new Neurosciences Hospital at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill opened. The Foundation surpassed $870,000 in grants given.

Shelley Eure Belk joined the Board of the Foundation of Hope as Alice Eure’s successor.

The Foundation of Hope established the endowed Thad and Alice Eure Distinguished Research Professorship at UNC-Chapel Hill to ensure continued improvements to the treatments for mental illness for years to come. It was awarded in 2008 to John Gilmore, MD, a renowned clinician and researcher in the field of schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

The Foundation of Hope surpassed $2.2 million in grants awarded to seed research projects at UNC-Chapel Hill and multiple community mental health initiatives.

The new UNC Women’s Mood Disorder Clinic opened, directed by Dr. David R. Rubinow, M.D., Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and an internationally known expert in the evaluation and treatment of women with mood disorders. This unique clinic specializes in women’s mood disorders, offering women in North Carolina hope for what can otherwise be a long and lonely struggle.

The Evening of Hope event was re-created and held at the Angus Barn Pavilion. The first event had 130 guests – just 13 tables.

The Foundation of Hope surpassed $3.6 million in grants.

The cozy one-room office of the Foundation of Hope on the Angus Barn’s property adjacent to the laundry room could no longer hold the growing Foundation staff. The office moved two miles down the road into the Brownleigh Business Park and expanded to four full-time and two part-time employees.

Foundation of Hope surpassed $1 million in fundraising for the first time.

Foundation of Hope undergoes an organizational-wide rebrand (Walk for Hope undergoes a rebrand a few months later).

To date, the Foundation of Hope has awarded 147 scientific research grants totaling more than $6.1 million. These funds have leveraged an additional $155 million from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation of Hope held its first DRIVE-THRU Walk for Hope, which enabled participants to experience the heart and soul of the traditional event while maintaining safety and social distancing protocols.

The 34th Annual Walk for Hope marked the return to an in-person event and surpassed all previous attendance and fundraising levels, with 3,200 Walkers raising over $790,000! Three Gala events – two Evening of Hopes and one Igniting Hope – also contributed to a record-breaking year of over $3.2 million in revenue.

The Foundation of Hope created the Campaign for CHAAMP, a total $5 million capital campaign dedicated to funding research and growing the research team of the CHAAMP program for kids and teens with anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. By the end of the year, over $3.7 million was raised/pledged by supporters.

Over the hill! The Foundation of Hope celebrates its 40th birthday year with plans to make the next 40 just as special as the first 40 by funding even more research, mental health initiatives, and CHAAMP initiatives than ever.