Soar: The M2G Mental Health Initiative

Dedicated to changing the way mental health is understood, diagnosed, and treated, Soar is the 501(c)(3) non-profit mental health initiative of M2G Ventures. Created after personal loss, we channeled our grief into action. Through collaborative partnerships with leading innovators in mental healthcare, and art-centered events like Art of the Mind and Muse at the Modern, Soar has elevated awareness of the vital need for better mental health outcomes, activated the community to generate momentum toward change, and raised over $2 million in pursuit of new pathways to healing and wholeness for those impacted by mental illness. 

PILLARS:

Research: Evolving Methods. We partner with leaders in mental health to create practical change today while making an everlasting impact on how mental illness is understood, prevented, diagnosed, and treated.

Advocacy: Commanding Attention. We use our platform to amplify the voices of those on the front lines of mental illness in pursuit of the understanding that better mental health outcomes are vital in our society. 

Community: Engaging Society. We put community first, meeting our neighbors with curated, thoughtful, and engaging experiences that drive action and shift the focus of mental healthcare toward treating the whole person. 

PARTNERS:

We partner with the UT Southwestern Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care (CDRC) to bring its services, studies, and resources to children and young adults across our region. The CDRC is a nationally recognized center for excellence in the research and treatment of mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder. Through innovative programs and studies, the team is developing practical tests that will transform clinical care for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mood disorders, which will have long-lasting and transformative benefits in our region.

We also partner with The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation (JEHF), whose mission is to prevent suicide, eliminate stigma, and provide hope to people struggling with suicidal thoughts. Together, we hosted the fourth annual Summit for Research in March. The three-day event brought together national renowned scientific researchers and academic professionals alongside national foundations focused on mental health to explore the latest advances in suicidology and depression research.

Now, M2G Ventures seeks to expand its impact by identifying an additional long-term nonprofit partner specializing in grief and trauma therapy, particularly for children and families experiencing acute and ongoing traumatic events. The chosen organization will be committed to both immediate crisis response and sustainable, long-term care plans that Prefoster resilience and healing.  

Together, we can change the way we understand and treat mental illness. 

Mental Illness

Conditions that affect a person's thinking, feeling, mood, or behavior. These include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. 

Depression

Depression, or major depressive disorder, is a chronic/recurrent illness and the leading global cause of disability, contributing to poor mental health, lost economic productivity, and suicide. 

The Reality 

The underlying causes of depression remain unknown, which limit our ability to diagnose it or evaluate how well treatments work. As a result, clinical treatment for depression is largely based on a trial-and-error approach, with less than half of people living with depression ever receiving treatment.

STATS

• 60 million adults experienced mental illness in the U.S. last year. 
• Texas ranked 50th among the states in providing access for mental health care. 
• 1 in 4 adults experiencing mental health issues reported in unmet need for mental health treatment in the past year.

"We do not want our children growing up in a place where the outcomes that we have experienced are a reality." 

- Jessica Miller Essl & Susan Miller, M2G Ventures cofounders