For our latest “Coffee With…” installment, Margaret caught up with Missy Minton, executive director of Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation, at Bell Café for delicious lattes and lunch, plus a great conversation.
RFM: What was your background before CKG?
Missy: I always thought I would be a history teacher. At the time, it was the only thing that I really had a passion for. I never did teach in a school setting, but for two decades I have immersed myself in teaching children. My career started at Junior Achievement of Central Virginia, where I developed a knack for raising money and developing event sponsorships. That carried with me when I moved to Pittsburgh and took on the development role at the Ward Home for Children. It was there that I fully realized that children in our communities have so many needs, and there are so many well-intentioned nonprofits trying to serve those needs. From housing and food insecurity to education inequities and mental health, I have been a part of organizations trying to do their part in making children whole and happy.
RFM: Where did your career path take you when you moved back to Virginia?
Missy: I was back in Richmond and a mom to three young girls when pictures of Cameron Gallagher came across my television. She had passed away as she crossed the finish line of the Shamrock half marathon in March of 2014. I recall her brave parents, David and Grace, speaking boldly about her mental health struggles in the midst of their deep grief. I was deeply moved, and as I watched, part of me knew right then and there that my calling was helping kids navigate the sadness of the world. The stigma and unspoken conversations brought me back to some incredibly challenging times as a teen when I experienced my own mental health struggles, but we didn’t talk about things like that back then. We have a hard time talking about it even now.
Through Cameron’s vision, the Gallagher family created a foundation born in love and grief but with a resolve to help teenagers manage their mental health, all because of the bravery of their beloved daughter and what she wanted people to know about teen depression and anxiety. For 11 years, the CKG Foundation has boldly gone where others have not. Their approach is simple but effective – positive, preventative, and proactive. Open and honest conversations that reduce stigma and teach resiliency. They keep terms simple, tools achievable, and happiness believable. Their belief has always been that if they can help one teen know their value, hasn’t it all been worth it?
RFM: Wow, so you jumped right in to working at CKG after it was up and running?
Missy: Pretty much! I started at the Foundation by writing grants and later transitioned into Director of Operations until my move to Executive Director in September of 2024. I wish I could explain the mix of emotions I felt as I took the reins of a foundation that bears the name of someone’s child, to step into the role that only her mother had occupied, and offer her story in my voice. Turns out being a mom to three teenage girls and having lived experience was all I needed. I had David and Grace’s blessings, an amazing team of passionate mental health advocates, and a board of directors that are ready to support and serve.
RFM: What are you excited about in the year ahead at the Foundation?
Missy: 2025 sees the Foundation joining the podcast space, revising every digital toolkit we have in a suite of tools to keep content fresh, creating new journals for the topics that affect our teens the most, and growing SpeakUp Clubs so that we are equipping our student leaders to have those peer to peer conversations. We are also looking forward to hosting our first ever “You Are Worth It All” teen festival on Saturday, April 12th.
Our request for resources has seen an exponential increase, and now from pediatricians’ offices to dentists’ offices, you can find Cameron’s beautifully designed and easy to navigate resources in an office near you. We also have wonderful partnerships with the Virginia Treatment Center for Children at CHoR where we house the Cameron K. Gallagher Mental Health Resource Center, as well as a national partnership with Gale, a Cengage company and global provider of research and learning resources. “Cameron’s Collection” of resources for parents and students alike is made available for purchase by school divisions. Locally, Hanover and Henrico County Public Schools have these resources available division wide. Our greatest need is to expand our funding resources in a shrinking pool during uncertain economic times.
Our team is simply following Cameron’s lead by being a positive force in our community to provide education and awareness. Our 12th annual SpeakUp5k will be on September 6th at Byrd Park. Cameron designed this race herself before her passing. The SpeakUp5k is quite simply my favorite day of the year. It is a day where no one feels alone. It is a day focused on pure joy.
I am so honored to lead this foundation and to be able to teach my own children how to take care of their mental health. It is not a job, it is life.
