Michelle Lawrence is the first President of the KVC Foundation, a subsidiary of KVC Health Systems. The vision of the KVC Health Systems family of nonprofits is to ensure every person is safe and connected to a strong family and a healthy community. To bring this vision to life, the KVC Foundation seeks strategic investments and donations from multiple funding sources – government grants, private and corporate foundations, and individuals – to support medical and behavioral healthcare, social services and educational programs and initiatives that strengthen families and communities. Philanthropy allows KVC to be agile and innovative in its approach to strengthening families, preventing child abuse and neglect, and helping people achieve mental health wellness.

Michelle Lawrence has served on KVC Health Systems’ Leadership Team for 10 years. She successfully led multiple KVC capital campaigns and program expansion initiatives, securing more than $75 million in her tenure to help open the: 

• KVC Institute for Health Systems Innovation
• Camber – Wichita, a new 54-bed acute children’s psychiatric hospital
• Newly renovated KVC Niles – 32-bed qualified residential treatment facility
• Camber-Hays, our new 32-bed acute children’s psychiatric hospital and residential treatment facility
• Children’s Mercy + Camber Mental Health (Joint Venture Hospital)– More than $40M secured to date for the new 72-bed (48 youth beds, 24 adult beds) acute inpatient psychiatric hospital in Olathe 
• And more

At a time when youth suicide and other children’s mental health needs are relentless, Michelle connects with each community of donors and helps leverage government and private support to address the urgent shortage of children’s psychiatric treatment beds throughout the Midwest. In addition to capital campaigns, she oversees the foundation team that helps to secure millions through federal, state, and local grant funding, KVC’s signature fundraising events, major gifts, planned giving, and stewardship.

Michelle has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, nonprofit resource development, child advocacy and community outreach. Prior to joining KVC, she served as Senior Director of Community Giving for the Saint Luke’s Foundation, where she created a robust foundation program for Saint Luke’s South Hospital. She also served as Senior Vice President for Community Development at Sunflower House where she helped grow revenue tenfold.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) and Rockhurst University and her Certification as a fundraising executive from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, Bloch School of Business. 

When Michelle reflects on the heart-centered work we do at KVC, she is inspired by a quote that was displayed in her office when she first joined KVC:

“Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse for impossibility, for it thinks all things are lawful for itself and all things are possible. It is therefore able to undertake all things.” -Thomas a Kempis

Read more about Michelle here.