Kelvin Heck, the Bert Nash Center's 2025 Lyn Smith Award winner, recognized for exceptional service

Kelvin Heck

Contributed story

Kelvin Heck joined the Bert Nash Endowment Board in 2013 and was elected chair two years later. During his term as chair, he and then CEO David Johnson, along with other board members, attended a national mental health conference where they learned about a new fund-raising model that focused on engaging volunteers and raising sustainable funding for the organization. As a method to launch that effort, they developed the Discover Bert Nash tours, which provide individuals and groups the opportunity to learn about the mission of the Bert Nash Center and hear inspiring real-life stories from people whose lives have been transformed through mental health services.

Kelvin served as the tour guide for the one-hour Discover Bert Nash events. At the beginning of each tour, he shared his personal history, and how that impacted his mental health journey. He started by sharing that he had grown up as the third generation in a farm family in North Lawrence. After his graduation from KU, Kelvin returned to North Lawrence to farm for almost 15 years until farm prices in the late 1980s caused him to transition into real estate. 

That unsettled economic and professional time, combined with transitions in his personal life caused Kelvin to acknowledge something that not many baby boomer men are willing to admit, that he was struggling with his mental health and needed help. “Seeing a therapist has a stigma to it, but if you peel back the layers enough, most everybody has some issue they are dealing with,” he said. So Kelvin reached out to Bert Nash and got the help he needed.  “It was hard to do, but I went to Bert Nash and received some support. I’m glad I did; it was helpful, just as we see a doctor for physical pains or injuries, it’s the same for mental health,” Kelvin explained.   

After Kelvin and his wife Marilyn married in 1997, they sought professional help again as they worked to blend their families and create healthy relationships with the children they each brought to their marriage. Those personal experiences have helped shape their community service, and their unwavering support of Bert Nash. 

Kelvin’s commitment traces back even further, to his father, Art Heck, who was a long-time civic leader.  His father served on many local boards, including the Bert Nash Center board from 1978-1980 and was the recipient of the Bert Nash Pioneer Award in 1989. “Dad was very involved with Bert Nash,” Kelvin recalled. He and Sandra Shaw (former Bert Nash Center CEO) were good buddies. My early exposure to Bert Nash was through my dad. Both of my parents were very community oriented.”

When Kelvin and Dave Johnson returned from the conference and launched The Discover Bert Nash tours, they also introduced the first Celebrate Bert Nash breakfast, which just celebrated its 13th year. In recognition of Kelvin’s support and commitment to Bert Nash, Kelvin is the recipient of the 2025 Lyn Smith Award, which honors an individual for exceptional service to the Bert Nash Center and its mission. The award will be presented on May 5 at the Center’s annual Pioneer Celebration at the Lawrence Arts Center.

Kelvin was both surprised and humbled to learn he was chosen for the award. “I thought, why me?” he said. “I don’t think I did anything out of the ordinary.” 

But he did. As noted in Jean Shepherd’s nomination letter, “Kelvin was the emcee, and the first endowment board chair, to make the initial “ask” at that inaugural breakfast.” Her nomination went on to say “Kelvin worked hard to establish these two new events benefiting both Bert Nash and the community, then and continuing to the present. He and the Lyn Smith Distinguished Service Award are a perfect match.”

During his time as chair of the Endowment Board, Kelvin would begin meetings by asking board members to identify one thing they were proud of or had accomplished since the last meeting. One thing Kelvin takes pride in is his long association with the Bert Nash Center. 

“I enjoyed working with the people on the board, and the staff was a pleasure to collaborate with. All these folks were such good people,” he said: “I knew they had their hearts and minds in the right place.”

Personal growth and improvement are important to Kelvin. He continues to see a therapist whenever he feels he could use additional support. “I recently had some things I thought I should get off my chest,” he said. “Sometimes, you just need a tune-up. It’s a form of self-care.”