The Orion Fund Meets with University of California, Berkeley

The Orion Fund met with University of California, Berkeley to learn more about the challenges students are experiencing, understand student needs, and explore how we can best support students in crisis. These conversations are part of our ongoing effort to stay informed and to ensure our grant programs are responsive and effective.

We were delighted to meet with representatives from Social Services, Mental Health, Basic Needs, Student Parents, International Students and Student Health Services.  These conversations reinforced the growing levels of fear, stress, and anxiety on campus, along with cuts to programs once available for students in crisis.  We continue to see this reflected in our interviews with students, particularly in the increasing number of mental health requests, alongside ongoing crises such as serious accidents and cancer. 

This year's meeting reaffirmed what we have long understood, that even on a campus with the full resources of Cal, there is no other organization providing the breadth and level of grant support that we offer.

The Orion Fund was created to bridge that gap, providing emergency grants at a critical juncture. Our goal for this next year and every year is to be there for these students, with adequate funding to support them in distress.

Thank you, UC Berkeley!

Left to Right: Erin O'Connor, UCB mental health; Justin Castello, UCB social services and organizer; Dr Julie Walsh, Medical Advisor, TOF; Raquel Castillano-Miller, Asst. Dir. Social Services; Pam Hirtzer, President, TOF; Jeannine Wisnosky, Dir. Development, TOF