Benefits of Laughter 2025 Raises $1.5M for Mental Health Treatment
ATLANTA–On Thursday, October 23, 2025, Skyland Trail hosted the 28th annual Benefits of Laughter and raised more than $1.5 million to support financial aid and mental health treatment programs. Additional donations to Skyland Trail through Benefits of Laughter will be accepted through December 31, 2025.
Since the inaugural Benefits of Laughter in 1998, the event has raised more than $21 million in total for the evidence-based mental health treatment services at Skyland Trail.
More than 575 guests at The St. Regis Atlanta in Buckhead learned about the power of mental health treatment to change lives from guest speaker Caroline, an adult program graduate.
“Thanks to Skyland Trail, I’ll be able to fully enjoy the second half of my life. And everyone deserves that,” says Caroline. “Thank you for supporting people like me and an organization that restores hope and changes lives.”
After Caroline’s remarks, comedian Andrew Stanley provided entertainment and laughter.
As a nonprofit mental health treatment organization, Skyland Trail awards $2 million in financial aid each year. Financial aid removes financial barriers to residential and day treatment programs for hundreds of teens and adults. Charitable giving through events like Benefits of Laughter and annual giving also supports therapeutic programming like family education; art, music, and horticultural therapy; and academic and vocational services.
The success of Benefits of Laughter is made possible by the efforts of volunteer leaders. The 2025 event was co-chaired by Wendy Conrad and Kim Marks. Fred Sturgis served as chair of the corporate committee. The patron committee chairs were Kate and Jim Denny.
Support from the Atlanta community was led by Presenting sponsor, Delta Air Lines.
Diamond sponsors included: The AEM Family Foundation, Connolly Family Foundation, Cox Enterprises, Isdell Family Foundation, and Margie and Robert Wynne.
Platinum sponsors included: Atlantic American and Gray Television, Liz and Frank Blake, Wendy Conrad and Neal Aronson, Kate and Jim Denny, First Horizon Foundation, The J.B. Fuqua Foundation, Georgia Power, Genuine Parts Company, Invesco, Edwina and Tom Johnson, Kim and Greg Marks, Rhonda and Bert Ponder, Resurgens Technology Partners, Roark, The Shaifer Family, Southern Company Gas Foundation, Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher, Diana and Mark Tipton, and Betsy and Mark West.
Gold sponsors included: Angel Oak, AT&T, Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, Jennifer and Tom Bell, Kit and David Bowlin, Ginny and Charles Brewer, Brown & Brown, Christmas Creek Charitable Fund, Fulcrum Equity Partners, Lorre and George Gaudiosi, Georgia Banking Company, Anne and Berny Gray, HB Wealth, Beth and Tommy Holder, JP Morgan Chase, Karen and Brian Keen, Frances and Jim Kerr, Elizabeth Klump and Sally & Ross Singletary, Carla Knobloch, Amy and Nevin Kreisler, Gay and Erskine Love Foundation, The Lupin Foundation, Tina and Ken Manning, Anne & Mike Marino and Katherine & Chip Reed, Masters Capital, MONTAG Wealth, Karen and Richard Parker, Patty and Doug Reid, Andrea and Tim Rollins, Nancy and Doug Bryant; Sherlock’s Wine Merchant, WDG Real Estate Partners, and ZWJ Investment Counsel.
Silver sponsors included: AlixPartners, LLP; Arrow Exterminators; Crawford Investment Counsel; Donna and Chip Davidson; Nan and Ed Easterlin; Jessica and John Rex Fuqua; Rand and Seth Hagen; Raymond James; and Kim and Mark Westfall.
The Atlantan served as a media sponsor.