Donna Shank received something better than a plaque or gold watch when she completed her term as a board member of the Kansas Health Foundation: the chance to play fairy godmother to a favorite cause.

"When you finish, they give a $25,000 grant in your name to the charity of your choice, as long as it fits their mission," Shank said. "I think it's really tremendous."

Shank's chosen recipient - a pediatric mental health program in which KU School of Medicine-Wichita is partnering - definitely fits the foundation's mission. Shank says much more work is needed in that area.

"One thing I felt like we didn't focus enough on were mental and behavioral health," she said. "There's really a shortage (of care) statewide, but especially in the rural areas and especially in services for children."

Shank's donation via the foundation will be used in conjunction with a $1.8 million Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Grant awarded earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. KU School of Medicine-Wichita's departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences are collaborating with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, and KU Center for Public Partnerships & Research to improve care for those 21 years and under.

"It's an exceptional program that allows us to direct services out to where they're needed," said Shank, who was recently appointed to the 4-Wichita Advancement Board, which supports the medical school.

Shank has championed health and education in Kansas her whole adult life. Born and raised in Liberal, she graduated summa cum laude in political science from Seward County Community College and Wichita State University.

"Politics has always been my passion - public service, public policy," she said.

Shank had no desire to run for office herself, but campaigned for others and served on various appointed boards and commissions while raising her children in Liberal and working as an insurance agent.

"Mostly, I focused on helping good people get elected to office. I like the campaign side of things rather than being a candidate."

The first board she served on was the Liberal-Seward County Board of Health, which gave her "a little bit of a start in health." At the same time, being involved in her children's education made her realize that opportunities in that area were limited for too many Kansans.

"In western Kansas, we didn't have as much access as we needed," she said. "It's just critical for all Kansans to have access to higher education and health care."

Shank worked on campaigns for governors Bill Graves and Kathleen Sebelius, who both appointed her to the Kansas Board of Regents. She served on that body from 2002 to 2010, including two terms as chair. Other boards on which she's served include Kansas Action for Children, Kansas Children's Cabinet, the Hospital Closure Commission, the Business Hall of Fame, the Kansas Council for the Future of Post-Secondary Education and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of Leadership Liberal and Leadership Kansas. She was named Liberal's Citizen of the Year in 2006.

"I just did what I could to help in education and health," Shank said.

Her gift to KU School of Medicine-Wichita should do that. One aspect of the program that she's excited about will provide appointments with specialists for pediatric patients who have more complicated mental health issues. The appointments, no matter where the patients live, can happen via telemedicine. The grant will also provide training in pediatric mental health care to primary care physicians, along with support through ECHO network (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) and "Warm Line" where they can consult experts via email or phone.

Shank recently moved to Wichita, where two of her adult children and four of her five grandchildren live. Both daughters work at Wesley Health - Megan Harp as a NICU care coordinator and Miranda Ruland as a child life specialist. Shank's son, Marc Shank, is a creative director with Hallmark in Kansas City.

Their mother, meantime, has started a second career as operations administrator for Ethan Allen Design Center.

"I do more of the business side, although I love interior design," Shank said. "It's always been something I enjoyed doing. When I moved to Wichita, this combined my love of design with business expertise."

And she's staying active in politics, having helped Gov. Laura Kelly "a little bit" in her successful election campaign.

"I just hope to continue to be involved and do what I can do."