Rick Kellar, president and CEO at Peg’s Foundation, leads a team that seeks to improve mental health in our region.

When serious mental illness struck Burt and Margaret “Peg” Morgan’s son, Dave, it upended their lives. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Dave spent much of his time in treatment facilities, facing disruptions that even the family’s resources could not prevent. In response, the Morgans founded the Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation, now known as Peg’s Foundation, with the mission of improving the lives of people with serious mental illness. “Our main purpose as a foundation is to bring hope, peace, and opportunity to families who experience behavioral or mental health issues because it doesn’t matter how much money you have,” said Rick Kellar, President and CEO of Peg’s Foundation. “These illnesses are devastating and we need to continue to find answers.” Kellar, who joined the foundation in 2005 after careers in financial services and as a U.S. Army Special Forces officer, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, now honors the Morgans’ legacy by granting funds to organizations like Akron Children’s that deliver treatment, research and support in behavioral and mental health. The foundation focuses on catalyzing better solutions for serious mental illness while improving systems for milder conditions. “Had we known something more about Dave’s condition earlier, could his recovery have been stronger?” Rick reflected, echoing Peg Morgan’s own questions.

The gift that started it all

Peg’s Foundation’s partnership with Akron Children’s began in 2006-2007, when hospital leaders approached the foundation about addressing psychiatric emergencies in children. At the time, emergency departments were not equipped to handle the emotional elements of self-harm, suicide attempts, or severe depression effectively. “We were approached by two individuals from Akron Children’s to address the needs of psychiatric emergencies,” Rick recalled. Dr. Steve Cosby and Dr. Georgette Constantinou, inspired by a model at Cincinnati Children’s, proposed the Psychiatric Intake Response Center (PIRC). Peg’s Foundation provided seed funding, launching an innovative intake process embedded in the emergency department. This investment sparked a continuum of care that has grown exponentially. From PIRC, Akron Children’s expanded to include a dedicated behavioral health wing for calmer assessments. Services now encompass partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient programs, and regional access points, ensuring kids are not just treated in crisis but supported over the long term. “Why did Peg’s Foundation partner with Akron Children’s? Because Akron Children’s represented a local opportunity within our mission area and a culture willing to experiment and innovate,” he said.

Personal reflection and impact

The partnership hits close to home for Kellar. His daughter Emma broke her arm on Halloween and left Akron Children’s happily with a purple cast. Years later, she arrived in the same emergency department after self-harm– after the PIRC had been established. Thanks to the continuum of care at Akron Children’s, she progressed from intake to partial hospitalization, eventually thriving without medication. Now a new mother, Emma’s story underscores the program’s life-changing potential. “Without the care, compassion and love of the work that started with that emergency room visit with her, I’m not sure she would be with us today,” he said. Akron Children’s has become a national model, with its approaches replicated in places like Texas and Alabama. Kellar calls the initial PIRC grant “the greatest, most innovative, and important grant this foundation has ever made,” highlighting how it set innovation in motion. The foundation’s “Think Bigger” motto, scribbled on a note by Peg Morgan, drives the work of the foundation today. As a founding member of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health, sixteen of the leading organizations in the U.S. dedicated to improving the lives of people living with mental health and substance use challenges, Peg’s Foundation continues to seek advancements in mental health in Ohio and the Nation. And it continues to support the work at Akron Children’s today.

Prevention through partnership

Rick urges donors to prioritize pediatric behavioral health amid rising anxiety in kids. “There’s nothing more important,” he said. “Akron Children’s is a trustworthy organization that treats every donation and every opportunity as precious, just as they do the children they serve.”