Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Garza.
Hi Mark, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When my father was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, I felt the impact of a diagnosis firsthand. Seeking support, I was shocked at the cost of therapy and realized there was a lack of care for thousands of people that were going through similar experiences.
After discovering paddle boarding as a means to keep my head clear, and find my peace, I knew I needed professional help. It was nearly impossible to figure out how to get help. When I was finally able to find care, I then understood the importance of and benefits that therapy could provide during such an emotionally and financially trying time. The problem remained – it was too hard and too expensive for people to get care. Insurance often didn’t cover therapy. I knew that something should, and could, be done to help.
In 2010, I decided to create a streamlined process that would provide families in need with financial assistance to access long-term help. To raise funds necessary to launch this program, I put together a “PR stunt” called Dam That Cancer in June 2010; the mission was to raise awareness and support for the cause: mental health services at no cost for families coping with cancer diagnosis and treatment. Dam That Cancer brought together 15 of my friends to stand up and paddle board a 21-mile stretch of water on Lake Austin, raising over $32,000 for the cause. It was at this point that I decided to dedicate my life to helping others get access to the much-needed mental health support.
A week after that first paddle stunt, I founded Flatwater Foundation as a non-profit to support the mission to provide access to mental health services for those affected by cancer. In addition to this event, Flatwater Foundation produces other non-traditional events, partnerships in the fitness and health community, and relationships in the mental health community to make sure people see the importance of mental health when coping with a diagnosis.
Over the years, we have annually paddled this 21-mile stretch of water in Austin for our event – TYLER’S Dam That Cancer. As this became a staple event in our community, we wanted to create a larger challenge paddle to raise funds with a smaller group of people. We wanted to take on large-scale paddle challenges to illustrate this power of mental toughness.
It started with 137 miles through 11 cities in Holland in 2015. 7 paddlers completed this challenge.
In 2017, 14 of our supporters Lake Tahoe in 4 days.
In 2019, 14 of us lived in vans and traveled the ring road of Iceland paddling 100km in ice-cold glacial waters.
In 2021 – we were able to complete a life-changing paddle in Utah, paddle boarding Labyrinth Canyon over 3 days, sleeping in sub-freezing temperatures and raising funds to help those in need access mental health support.
Our paddle journeys are also about reminding everyone that mental health is crucial, and we must all take time to take care of our minds. When I started this nonprofit in 2010, mental health was not a topic of conversation. It was very taboo. We now, in 2022, have a responsibility to keep pushing on. Many more people now see the need, and the importance. We must deliver on our mission and ensure we continue to help thousands in need.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
As with any great venture, there have always been challenges. In our world, death is something we talk about on a weekly basis. Cancer is everywhere, and we feel that we can’t go a week or two without hearing another story about a small child being diagnosed with a blood cancer, or a parent or loved one getting the terrible news that cancer has spread.
As Flatwater Foundation has worked for over a decade to help so many families get access to the care they deserve, we have continued to work hard to keep up with demand and scale the program by adding new therapists into our network. As with the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic delivered a hard blow to our process and our fundraising – but we were able to overcome the challenge.
While the virus threatened our ability to put on our annual million-dollar fundraising paddle, we were able to come up with creative ways to still raise money. We went to some virtual models, and even broke down our larger event in to 15-20 smaller groups of people to help avoid spreading COVID. It seemed to work – as we did still raise over $800,000.
Before we had the event, the uncertainty about the longer term future of the virus and the pandemic meant Flatwater had to momentarily pause the placement of new families and individuals into therapy. We wanted to be sure that all families and people in care would be able to remain in care, as long as possible. We do not limit the duration of therapy, as cancer is not a short journey. This was paramount for our team. This was beyond hard for me, as everything I had worked for, to achieve, getting help for these families, was in the balance. In addition, the supply of available therapy sessions was dwindling, as many more people started to go into care due to the pandemic – and many of the therapists practicing closed their practices or paused care do to the fact that they did not want to pivot to a virtual model. These challenges have tested out team, our mission, and our fortitude – but we believe Flatwater has come out of the other side stronger. This is our mission – to help others stay strong in the face of adversity by seeking help, and accessing the mental health support they need via talk therapy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a nonprofit Executive Director. I Founded Flatwater Foundation in Austin, TX because I saw a huge gap in cancer care. It is nearly impossible for families hit by a cancer diagnosis to access counseling, with the 150-200 dollar sessions, as cancer can often bankrupt families. I knew something had to be done. We started our nonprofit to cover the cost of that care – using creative methods like paddle boarding challenges and community events that prove that together we are stronger.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love listening to podcasts like “How I Made This”, interviews that inspire me to be a leader, but also to flex my entrepreneurial muscles. In the end, to run a successful nonprofit, it MUST be run like a business. It is great to learn about others, their motivations, their failures and their why.
Start with Why is another book that resonates with me. Often we forget that in the middle, at the core of all we do, we must recognize the why. For example, in business and as a nonprofit with a mission, this is imperative if we hope to build community, and momentum and gain traction with others, because acting on our emotions must begin with WHY.
Contact Info:
- Website: flatwaterfoundation.org
- Instagram: @flatwater
- Facebook: facebook.com/savetheminds
- Twitter: @flatwater
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkLhWdSFlyHaDm2uIRWTMBw
- Other: https://www.flatwaterfoundation.org/media-gallery
Image Credits
Mark Garza
