Children's Wisconsin receives single largest gift in history with $20M donation from the Yabuki family

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Yabuki Family Foundation and Children's Wisconsin on Monday, July 26, announced a $20 million donation to transform the delivery of integrated mental and behavioral health care at every Children’s Wisconsin primary care and urgent care location.

This is the largest single gift in Children’s history.

According to a news release, through the Yabuki family’s generosity, the program will expand to at least 36 full-time, masters-prepared therapists who will work side-by-side with pediatricians in every Children’s primary and urgent care location.

The hospital says more than 175,000 kids are seen by Children’s Wisconsin pediatricians during routine checkups or at an urgent care visit.

Transformational. Life-changing. Life-saving. Thanks to a $20 million gift from @JeffYabuki and his family, Children’s Wisconsin will be able to transform how we care for a child’s emotional and mental well-being. (1/6) pic.twitter.com/6IHJUQY6rH

— Children's Wisconsin ? (@childrenswi) July 26, 2021

This holistic integration of mental and behavioral health creates a new standard for evaluation, treatment and access to services for children.

When fully staffed in 2023, the program has the potential to benefit more than a third of the pediatric population in southeastern Wisconsin.

The Yabuki Family Foundation was established by Jeff Yabuki, who served as CEO of Wisconsin-based Fiserv from 2005 to 2020, during which time it became the state’s most valuable public company. Under Yabuki’s leadership in 2018, Fiserv acquired the naming rights to Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Marquette University Golden Eagles.

Yabuki knows all too well the devastating effects childhood mental health issues can have on families. His younger brother’s depression went undiagnosed during childhood. In 2017, Craig Yabuki died by suicide, leaving behind a wife and three young children.

“Out of tragedy comes opportunity. We are honored to pay tribute to my brother by partnering with Children’s to create meaningful change for kids in Wisconsin and across the nation,” said Yabuki. “Through our partnership, we intend to significantly advance the manner in which mental and behavioral health issues in children are diagnosed, reduce the stigma, and enable care — when needed — to be delivered in a fully integrated way. Whether a child has an earache or is feeling anxiety, we are helping families to address mental and physical health, together, and with equal importance.”

Jeff Yabuki and Gail Groenwoldt