Turning Personal Crisis into Advocacy for Young Women’s Mental Health

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Bob Clapp. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

When a family faces a mental health crisis, the world can feel like it’s falling apart. Bob Clapp understands this firsthand. After his daughter experienced such a crisis, he and his wife discovered The Charlton School, a therapeutic learning community for young women in Saratoga County, NY. This encounter sparked a deep commitment to ensuring other families have access to the same critical support.

“My daughter attended the school,” Bob shares. “She’s now 19, but back at 14, she had a pretty severe mental health crisis that led to multiple hospitalizations. Each place that was short-term would keep her safe, which was good, but the first time we were able to get adequate treatment was at The Charlton School. It’s incredibly scary to send your child two and a half hours away to be cared for by other people. But they do such a good job integrating families into their program that we immediately felt comfortable. Once she came back home from Charlton, she graduated high school and is now in college. I was so impressed with Charlton’s approach that I wanted to help out.”

Charlton provides 24-hour, wrap-around care for young women across New York state, utilizing a variety of therapeutic approaches. Recognizing the profound impact the school had on his family, Bob didn’t just say “thank you” – he took action.

“As part of their philanthropic outreach, my company, Regeneron, put on a program about how to serve on boards for nonprofits,” Bob says.

“That gave me a lot of answers to questions I had. After that, I took the plunge and called Charlton’s executive director. He was thinking of inviting me to join the board anyway, so it worked out beautifully.”

Today, Bob serves as a dedicated member of Charlton’s Board of Trustees and is the founding chair of their Advancement Committee. This committee plays a vital role in fundraising, advocacy and media relations, ensuring the school has the resources to continue its life-changing work.

“Not only did the school provide us with good service in a time of immense crisis for our family, but their executive director is very committed to improving the services they provide,” Bob explains. “A lot of people ask for constructive feedback but really want praise. If I raise issues with Charlton’s leadership team, they don’t make excuses or get defensive. They listen and they try to come up with ways to improve. I felt that if I was going to dedicate my time to coming up with suggestions or solutions, I wanted that to be received and acted on.”

Bob’s leadership has been instrumental in strengthening Charlton’s financial foundation. His efforts contributed to a remarkable 35% increase in annual fund contributions last year. He has personally sponsored matching campaigns that have generated over $100,000 in the past two years alone. This work has been crucial for the school, which is in the midst of expanding its outreach, building new dormitories and increasing funding so that as many young women as possible can get the care they need.

“When you’re in crisis mode, navigating the mental health system is difficult,” Bob reflects. “My daughter wouldn’t be alive without this type of care. Her mental health state was beyond my and my wife’s capability to keep her safe. We needed professional help. And the structure of Charlton, with that 24-hour wrap-around care, plus multiple therapeutic modalities, that’s what some kids need. I want to make sure other families in need have access to this level of support.”

Beyond his fundraising achievements, Bob actively participates in the Executive, Clinical & Educational, and Personnel Committees, demonstrating his commitment to every facet of the organization. He even served on ad-hoc committees focused on expanding digital payment processing and refining the volunteer recruitment process. Bob dedicates approximately 20 hours each month to The Charlton School, bolstered by his belief in their mission. His perspective has humanized the work of the agency, keeping them connected to the real people they serve, rather than getting lost in the numbers.

“I’m the first board member whose kid went to the school,” Bob says. “In some ways, I see the others helping out of the goodness of their own hearts, whereas I have some self-interest! But what I’ve found is that when I’ve had struggles firsthand in my life, I become more empathetic. And I think I’ve been able to offer perspective that the board needed, with my family having lived through the crisis firsthand.”

Bob’s story is an inspiring example of turning personal experience into positive action. He believes strongly in destigmatizing mental health struggles so that more youth can get help, and more lives can be saved.

“In a 2023 report, the CDC said that 53% of young women experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness,” Bob says. “My kid’s not unusual; my kid’s the majority. Why do we have to pretend that’s not a thing?”

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Bob? Find local volunteer opportunities.