New scholarship fund is family legacy for rural mental health

April 23--WILLMAR -- In the 20-some years he was on the staff at Woodland Centers, Dr. Eugene Bonynge had a hand in most of the community mental health center's programs, including a 15-year tenure as executive director.

After his unexpected death in 2010 at age 57, numerous people came forward to share stories with his wife, Jane, about how Bonynge had helped them or someone in their family through a mental health issue.

"They were very grateful and thankful. Whoever that person was, it changed their life," Jane Bonynge said.

She and the couple's two children began talking about ways to memorialize Gene's work in mental health and came up with the idea of a scholarship.

The Eugene R. Bonynge Memorial Graduate Student Scholarship was officially launched this spring by the Bonynge family and Woodland Centers. The $1,000 annual scholarship targets graduate students in the behavioral sciences, especially those with a career goal of rural mental health practice.

It's a fitting way to remember someone whose lifelong vocation was in mental health care, but it's also a way of supporting the rural mental health care workforce and rural access to care, said Dr. Rick Lee, director of Woodland Centers.

By most measures, rural Minnesota has a shortage of mental health care professionals at all levels, he said. Nearly all the counties outside the metro area qualify as federally designated professional shortage areas in mental health.

Woodland Centers, which serves six west central Minnesota counties, has had a relatively good retention rate with the professionals it hires, Lee said.

But "it's getting them in the door" that's challenging, he said. "And the fact is, even though we've had some success with retention, we're always recruiting."

The cost of a four-year college education, followed by graduate training, also is increasingly a barrier, particularly in light of relatively lower pay in the mental health field, Lee said. "It is really, really challenging. To get to that point in the journey, you have to be passionate about the work."

He and Jane Bonynge said their hope is that the new scholarship will be of practical help to a student.

"I'm hoping it has an impact for someone," said Bonynge, who works at Woodland Centers as the accounting manager.

Lee also hopes it creates a connection with Woodland Centers and helps with staff recruitment and ultimately better rural access to mental health care. "It's a way to put Wood Centers' name in front of people who might be interested in living and practicing in our region," he said.

The deadline to apply for this year's scholarship is July 31.

Students who are in graduate or postdoctoral training in behavioral health programs such as psychology, clinical social work or professional counseling are eligible to apply. Applicants must be a graduate of a high school within the six-county Woodland Centers service area: Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Renville or Swift.

Applications are available on the Woodland Centers website at www.woodlandcenters.com. Donations to support the scholarship fund also can made through Woodland Centers.

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