Melanie Foundation

The Melanie Foundation was created in 2006 to honor the life and legacy of Melanie Merola O’Donnell, with the mission to foster support for mental health issues. Melanie lived a life of giving, focusing her career on relieving suffering inflicted by mental illness. Melanie died at the age of 33 while in the midst of doctoral studies in psychology. Her family and friends subsequently collaborated to bring The Melanie Foundation to life, with the initial goal of providing scholarships to people who had the best chance of extending Melanie’s legacy – graduate students in a mental health field. The Melanie Foundation’s most significant fundraiser, The Saratoga Palio, was a signature event in Saratoga each fall from 2006 until 2020. Its success helped The Melanie Foundation expand its support of aspiring mental health practitioners and give back to Saratoga Springs – the community that gave us Melanie. Since 2009, The Melanie Foundation has awarded a scholarship in her name to an outstanding post-graduate student in the field of mental health. In addition, a portion of funds raised from each Saratoga Palio race were donated to local nonprofit organizations.