Good Bye
It is with deep gratitude and a heavy heart that we announce that this will be the final year of the Baer Reintegration Scholarships. For nearly three decades, this program has been a source of hope, opening doors for hundreds of individuals determined to rebuild their lives. Saying goodbye is not easy—but due to the loss of funding, we will conclude the program after the 2026–27 academic year.
Since our first scholarships in 1998, we have been sustained by the generosity of partners who believed in this mission. Eli Lilly supported us for thirteen foundational years, and beginning in 2016, the Sidney R. Baer Jr. Foundation, along with many compassionate donors, carried that legacy forward. In recent years, however, economic challenges have made it impossible to secure the funding needed to continue.
What makes this ending so difficult is not just the closing of a program—but the closing of a chapter filled with extraordinary human stories. To the thousands of applicants who entrusted us with your journeys: thank you. You shared stories of struggle, courage, setbacks, and perseverance. You reminded us, year after year, of the strength of the human spirit. It has been a profound privilege to witness your determination to move forward.
I am equally grateful to our independent judges, whose care and thoughtfulness shaped each class of scholars, and to the board members and advisors who guided this work with wisdom and unwavering belief in its purpose.
Over the years, we have watched scholars achieve what once may have seemed out of reach—completing trade programs, earning college degrees, and going on to law school and medical school. Many did so while living with serious mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Their achievements are not just academic milestones; they are powerful testaments to resilience, dignity, and hope.
My own thirty years with Fountain House showed me that recovery is never a solitary journey. Community matters. Compassionate, high-quality care matters. And above all, belief in one another matters.
If there is one lesson this program has taught us, it is this: no one is beyond recovery. Each person’s path is different, but with the right support, opportunity, and encouragement, transformation is possible. Our scholars proved this again and again—not only through their stories, but through their achievements. An 82% graduation rate and a 3.69 average GPA are remarkable statistics—but behind those numbers are lives changed, futures reclaimed, and possibilities realized.
As we bring this program to a close, I do so with immense pride and enduring hope. While the scholarships may end, the impact will not. It lives on in every person who moved forward, every goal achieved, and every life reshaped.
It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as chair of this program. Thank you to all who made it possible—and to those who will carry its spirit forward.
Executive Director
Ralph Aquila, MD
Center for Reintegration Board
Giovanni Colella, MD, President/Co Founder and CEO, Castlight Health,
Chair, elected 2015
Board Members
Elyn Saks, JD, USC Gould Law School
Elected 2020
Betsy Blumenthal, Senior Managing Director, Kroll.
Elected 2021
Disclaimer
The Center for Reintegration does not endorse any organization or recommend the use of any specific treatment or medication listed on this web site, nor do we provide counseling, legal advice, medical advice, or direct referrals to professionals.
The resources on this site are provided for informational purposes only. The content is not intended in any way to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be interpreted as treatment recommendations. Only a physician who has had an opportunity to interact with the patient in person, with access to the patient's records and the opportunity to conduct appropriate follow-up, can provide recommendations for treatment. For advice about specific treatment or medication, consult a physician and/or mental health professional.
If you are in need of immediate help, please contact a crisis clinic or a qualified mental health care provider.
Privacy Policy
Welcome to this Reintegration.com web site! This site is owned by The Center for Reintegration and is supported byunrestricted educational grants from numerous foundations. This Privacy Policy is designed to tell you about our practices regarding collection, use, and disclosure of information that you may provide via this site. Please be sure to read this entire Privacy Policy before using or submitting information to this site. This site is intended for use by residents of the United States.
Your Consent
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About Children
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Active Information Collection
Like many web sites, this site actively collects information from its visitors both by asking you specific questions and by permitting you to communicate directly with us via e-mail, feedback forms, and/or chat rooms. Some of the information that you submit may be personally identifiable information (that is, information that can be uniquely identified with you, such as your full name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and so on). Some areas of this site may require you to submit information in order for you to benefit from the specified features (such as subscriptions for Reintegration Today Magazine, tips/pointers, order processing) or to participate in a particular activity (such as promotions). You will be informed at each information collection point what information is required and what information is optional.
Passive Information Collection
As you navigate through a web site, certain information can be passively collected (that is, gathered without your actively providing the information) using various technologies and means, such as Internet Protocol addresses, cookies, Internet tags, and navigational data collection.
We use Internet Protocol (IP) addresses on this site. An IP Address is a number assigned to your computer by your Internet service provider so you can access the Internet and is generally considered to be non-personally identifiable information, because in most cases an IP address is dynamic (changing each time you connect to the Internet), rather than static (unique to a particular user's computer). We use your IP address to diagnose problems with our server, report aggregate information, determine the fastest route for your computer to use in connecting to our site, and administer and improve the site.
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We use Internet tags at this site. Tags have been placed both on online advertisements that bring people to the site and on different pages of the site. These tags indicate how many times a page is opened and which information is consulted. We do not collect or seek personally identifiable information through these tags.
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Except as otherwise stated, we may use your information to improve the content of our site, to customize the site to your preferences, to communicate information to you (if you have requested it), for our marketing and research purposes, and for the purposes specified in this Privacy Policy.
If you provide personally identifiable information to this site, we may combine such information with other actively collected information unless we specify otherwise at the point of collection. We will take reasonable measures to prevent personally identifiable information from being combined with passively collected information, unless you consent otherwise.
We may disclose your personally identifiable information to other organizations worldwide that agree to treat it in accordance with this Privacy Policy. In addition, we may disclose your personally identifiable information to third parties, located in the United States and/or any other country, but only:
to contractors we use to support our business (e.g., fulfillment services, technical support, delivery services, and financial institutions), in which case we will require such third parties to agree to treat it in accordance with this Privacy Policy;
in connection with the sale, assignment, or other transfer of the business of this site to which the information relates, in which case we will require any such buyer to agree to treat it in accordance with this Privacy Policy; or
where required by applicable laws, court orders, or government regulations.
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How to Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or the information practices of this site, please contact us as follows:
The Center for Reintegration
PO Box 89
Saugerties, NY 12477
Email: baerscholarships@reintegration.com