About the Foundation
The Eric M. Suhl Foundation (the "EMSF") was created in memory of Eric Matthew Suhl, who passed away in February 2016. Eric was a fun loving person who enjoyed numerous sports activities, his friends, and being with his family. His ever present smile, infectious personality and enormous heart allowed him to make friends wherever he went.
During Eric’s senior year at the University of Texas, he began to struggle with ulcerative colitis. Despite the nature of the disease and the complications arising from it, he never let anyone know he was suffering. He was consistently upbeat and made every effort to ensure everyone around him was having a great time.
The mission of the EMSF is to positively impact the lives of those suffering with Crohn's and Colitis and mental health issues.
Allocation of Funds
2016 - 2020
With the love, support and generosity of the Eric M. Suhl Foundation’s friends and family, we proudly raised and donated $285,000 dollars during the first five years since inception. We made a positive impact in the lives of those suffering with Crohn’s and colitis and mental health issues in the following ways:
- $130,000 directed to Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (“CCF”)
- General Fund: used in a diverse array of projects to optimize the effectiveness of currently available treatments and to advance quality treatment of patients
- Clinical Research Alliance: a consortium of research centers dedicated to clinical studies in adult IBD patients. Three of Eric Suhl’s former doctors (Frachtman, Thompson, and Haas) recommended clinical research because this area was doing groundbreaking work in testing for treatments that could help Crohn’s and Colitis patients
- Coping with IBD: creating specific communication tools that empower patients and caregivers to proactively address disease coping concerns with their healthcare providers and support network. IBD does not just affect patients physically….it can take an emotional toll as well, and so Coping with IBD is offering resources and tools to educate patients on the relationship between their emotional well being and their health outcomes
- Power of Two: a peer-to-peer support program for individuals seeking to talk by phone to other patients or caregivers with IBD. Peer supports are trained volunteers who have gone through their disease journey and are able to offer a supportive ear that focuses on encouragement, empathy, and navigating patients/caregivers to the Foundation resources and support programs
- $85,000 directed to JFS (“JFS”) Touching the Heart
- Touching the Heart: a mental health initiative at Jewish Family Service. The program was created based on proven studies conducted during and since World War II that showed veterans off at war that received a message from someone they didn’t know saw a statistically significant reduction of death by suicide and were more likely to ask for help than those with no contact. Touching the Heart is a text-based messaging service open to our entire community specifically focusing on second semester high school seniors, college and/or graduate students of any age, and young professionals. The goal is to send messages just to say hello and to offer psychological support, guidance and tips for resilience and well-being
To learn more about the program or to sign up, please visit www.mentalhealthletstalk.org/touching-the-heart/
- $70,000 directed to funding the Eric M. Suhl Endowed Scholarship, University of Texas (Austin)
- Eric M. Suhl Endowed Scholarship: Any student enrolled at UT (Austin) who suffers from colitis, Crohn's, or IBD may apply. The scholarship is a permanent endowed gift to UT
2021
The $80,000 from 2021 was directed:
- $30,000 to JFS Touching the Heart.
- $20,000 to the CCF Power of Two.
- $30,000 towards The Eric M. Suhl Scholarship at UT Austin.
2022
The $95,000 from 2022 was directed:
- $35,000 to JFS Touching the Heart.
- $20,000 to the CCF Power of Two.
- $40,000 towards The Eric M. Suhl Scholarship at UT Austin.
2023
The $75,000 from 2023 was directed:
- $25,000 to JFS Touching the Heart.
- $20,000 to the CCF Power of Two.
- $30,000 towards The Eric M. Suhl Scholarship at UT Austin.
About our Board
The Eric M. Suhl Foundation is made up of a group of individuals who grew up with Eric and are deeply connected with the mission of the organization. They represent the broad diversity of our membership and contribute significant amounts of time, talent, and energy to further the mission of the organization.
Officers
Eric Horvitz
President & Co-Founder
Board Member
Jeff Magids
Vice President & Co-Founder
Board Member
Brett Luskey
Vice President & Co-Founder
Board Member
David Siegman
Vice President
Board Member
Debra Suhl
Board Member
Sally Suhl
Board Member