NewsVGM Group’s Q2 Community Giving Focuses On Mental Health Awareness

For the second quarter of 2025, VGM Group’s Community Giving Committee efforts focused on projects and organizations that help promote mental health awareness. 

Donations this quarter totaled $7,300. Learn more about these organizations below. 

Pathways Behavioral Services 

Pathways Behavioral Services is an organization licensed in Iowa to provide Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) outpatient treatment, as well as residential SUD services. They also provide prevention, peer recovery/support services, case management and psychiatric services, and are nationally accredited as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. Pathways serves over 6,800 people a year (including 1,800 youth under 18) in their clinical and supportive services and an additional 10,000 a year with their prevention services. VGM’s donation will help Pathways’ multiple programs offered. 

To learn more about Pathways Behavioral Services, visit pathwaysb.org 

Total donation amount: $5,000 

NAMIWalks Mid-Carolina 

NAMIWalks is the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s oldest signature fundraiser and, as of 2025, is one of the nation’s Top 30 peer-to-peer events for the fourth straight year, after raising an unprecedented $14.7 million and registering a program high of 8,085 teams. Over 160 community Walks are presented by NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates from coast to coast. VGM’s donation directly supports NAMI Mid-Carolina’s mission of education, advocacy, support, and public awareness. 

To learn more about NAMIWalks, visit www.namiwalks.org. 

Total donation amount: $1,000 

Allen Foundation Mental Health Breakfast 

UnityPoint Health Allen Foundation holds a yearly Mental Health Awareness Breakfast that attracts nearly 700 visitors and has raised over $400,000 for mental health awareness. This year’s breakfast, now in its sixth year, brought keynote speaker Gary Kroeger, Saturday Night Live alum, to Cedar Falls, Iowa. VGM’s donation to the event went toward continually raising awareness for mental health and mental health advocacy. 

To learn more, visit give.unitypoint.org/event/mental-health-awareness-breakfast-2025/e649475 

Total donation amount: $500 

Alive & Running 

Alive & Running is a nonprofit organization that is completely volunteer-led and uses all funds donated to raise awareness of suicide prevention. The organization uses these funds to provide free training as they feel education is key to preventing suicide. In addition to suicide prevention work, Alive & Running Iowa also hosts two grief support groups in Waverly and Waterloo for those who have experienced a loss due to suicide. Alive & Running is a featured charity partner on the charity wall, a prominent stop on the VGM Journey where visitors can select a charity partner, and VGM will donate to that charity on their behalf. 

To learn more, visit aliveandrunningiowa.com. 

Total donation amount: $450 

Let’s Start Talking 

Let’s Start Talking’s mission is to spark meaningful conversations around suicide prevention and promote mental health awareness in the community. VGM’s donation helped Let’s Start Talking provide prizes for their Pizza, Puzzles, & Pints event. All proceeds from the event went directly toward local mental health resources—such as hospital donations, scholarships, and QPR training—with a portion being contributed to Alive & Running Iowa for suicide prevention. Let’s Start Talking was started by Tehya Tournier, daughter of Melanie Tournier, Senior Account Executive for Strategic Imaging, employee owner since 2016. 

To learn more about Let’s Start Talking and their upcoming events, visit www.letsstarttalkingia.com/events. 

Total donation amount: $350 

Questions? Contact members of the VGM Community Giving Committee at [email protected].