Skyland Trail Honors Leadership of Philanthropist J. Rex Fuqua, Names New Adolescent Campus

ATLANTA – Skyland Trail recently announced that the campus currently under construction on Dresden Drive in Chamblee will be named the J. Rex Fuqua Campus in recognition of the leadership and generosity of long-time board member and supporter Rex Fuqua. The campus, scheduled to open in late 2019, will be home to a residential treatment program for adolescents ages 14 to 17 with mood and anxiety disorders.

Construction of the facility and development of the new treatment program is made possible by the Building Resilience, Changing Lives capital campaign, which raised more than $21 million for the project. Rex Fuqua brought the concept to Skyland Trail and helped lead the fundraising effort as one of three campaign tri-chairs, along with Rand Glenn Hagen and Tom Johnson.

“Rex’s involvement with Skyland Trail goes back almost to our beginning,” says Beth Finnerty, president and CEO. “He has been the heart and soul of the campaign to develop this adolescent campus. Several early donors to the campaign noted that a strong motivating factor for their investments was Rex’s personal involvement. Rex often leads quietly by making challenge or flooring gifts. For this campaign, Rex sat across the table from funders and described in his own words the intense and immediate need for this program in Atlanta. Donors listened.”

Rex Fuqua was awarded the 2018 Philanthropist of the Year award by the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. The group cited Fuqua’s leadership and numerous investments in clinical treatment, research, and education to advance the field of mental health as a key factor in their selection.

Rex Fuqua joined the Skyland Trail Advisory Board in 1990 and the Board of Directors in 2001. He has served as chair of the program committee since 2012. In addition to his work on the adolescent campus, the J.B. Fuqua Foundation provided a leadership gift and challenge grant in 2015 to help raise additional funds for the Changing Minds Campaign, which enabled Skyland Trail to build a treatment center for young adults ages 18 to 25. In 2011, Fuqua committed to financially support the Dorothy C. Fuqua Lecture Series, a community education initiative in honor of his mother.

Fuqua joined donors and friends at a groundbreaking ceremony for the J. Rex Fuqua Campus on May 23, 2018. The ceremony marked the beginning of construction on the campus, which will comprise a treatment facility, a residential hall, and therapeutic outdoor spaces.

“Many years ago, it became very apparent to me, working with other clinicians in the community that one of the biggest gaps we have in the treatment of mental illness in Atlanta was the treatment of adolescents,” says Rex Fuqua. “There has been a tremendous increase in the rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide in this age group. Our dream was to find community support to create a treatment facility that would work with middle- and high-school- aged kids who needed more intensive care. I’m grateful to all the foundations and individuals who are making this important project possible.”

Located in Chamblee, an existing 30,000 square-foot, two story office building will be renovated to meet the specialized treatment and education needs of adolescents. The renovated building will include individual and group therapy rooms, art and music therapy rooms, a media center and dedicated space for patients to complete their school work, a kitchen and dining area, and offices for clinical and administrative staff.

A two-story residential hall will be constructed adjacent to the treatment center. It will include 26 private patient rooms as well as a common living area, family room, kitchen, and nurses’ station. Outdoor spaces will be developed into a courtyard and gardens, as well as specialized areas for fitness and recreational activities.

Founding donors of the Building Resilience, Changing Lives campaign include the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, The Realan Foundation, the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation, The Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation, The James M. Cox Foundation, The West Foundation, Jennifer and Tom Bell, Mary and John Brock, Susan and Jim Hannan, Beth and Tommy Holder, Edwina and Tom Johnson, Melanie and Rob Palumbo, and three anonymous friends of Skyland Trail.

The J. Rex Fuqua Campus and adolescent treatment program will expand the Skyland Trail continuum of care which currently includes psychiatric residential, day treatment, and outpatient programs for adults ages 18 and older.