Background
The Haukkala Foundation (in Jyväskylä, Finland) was established by the Association for the Haukkala Children’s Psychiatric Hospital founded in 1954. The mission of the Association was to support the much needed, nationally pioneering work of the Haukkala Children’s Psychiatric Hospital, located in the town of Jyväskylä, Central Finland, in addressing the mental health and emotional and social needs of children. (The 50-year history of the Association is available in Finnish here).
The Children’s Psychiatric Hospital and a special school for in-patients at the hospital and for children from Jyväskylä requiring special education, were later municipalized by Central Finland Health Care District. When the Hospital no longer needed the support of the Association, in 2012 the Association decided to establish the Haukkala Foundation to continue and broaden its mission to support children’s welfare. The Haukkala Foundation was officially registered in 2013 (Y-2545183-69).
The Association appointed the members of the first Board of the Foundation and invited a long-term member of the Board of the Association, Lea Pulkkinen, to chair and oversee the establishment of the new Haukkala Foundation. Three other members of the Council, Marja Heikkilä, Jari-Erik Nurmi († in 2017), and Anna Rönkä, were invited to serve as members of the Board of the Foundation, and in addition four new members were invited to join the Board: Reija Alen (2013-2018), Kimmo Jokinen, Pekka Utriainen (2013-2015) and Silja Ässämäki (2013-2016).