The Francine A. LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being, made possible by a generous gift from the Francine A. LeFrak Foundation, provides both a centralized hub and umbrella organization for our many Feel Well, Do Well @ Barnard wellness initiatives and will occupy renovated spaces within Barnard Hall.
The Francine LeFrak Center will include state-of-the-art spaces for financial fluency and wellness programs, a fitness center, and dance spaces. By uniting initiatives that address the many dimensions of student health and wellness — physical, mental, and financial — we are able to offer our students holistic well-being support that propels success inside and outside the classroom.
Strong physical health is a key component in thriving while at Barnard and we take a holistic approach in meeting the physical health needs of our students. By providing health services through Primary Care Health Service, health education from peer health educators in our Wellness Spot program, and other activities, we understand that being healthy propels success inside and outside of the classroom.
Mental health and wellness is an important part of thriving at Barnard and beyond. Therapy, support groups, relaxation and biofeedback training, medications, and referrals into the community, as well as regular mental health workshops and seminars, help you stay balanced and motivated.
Barnard considers financial wellness to be an integral part of comprehensive well-being. We believe that a person's understanding of money and their capacity to make strategic financial decisions can impact their future and ability to effect change in the world.
Meet Barnard's health and wellness leader.
Barnard has a strong support system, giving you a net to land in when you’re overwhelmed. Everyone manages stress differently, but as long as you have a method, Barnard is here to help.
Francine A. LeFrak has demonstrated a strong personal and philanthropic commitment to women’s empowerment and the generous continuation of her family’s legacy at Barnard.
“This is a dream come true and a culmination of my work supporting women that I have done for so many years. I am delighted to be on the forefront of this innovative and more complete definition of wellness. I have seen firsthand how wellness is an intersection of financial, physical, and mental well-being. This Center will be a point of hope for women. Like my mother, Ethel, Class of ’41, the Francine A. LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being is a trailblazer in the wellness and empowerment of women. I am so proud and excited to be working closely with Sian on this project. With the Francine LeFrak Center on its campus, I believe that Barnard is destined to be a leader in health and wellness and a model for others to follow. As a woman and a philanthropist, I can’t think of anything that could be closer to my heart.”
Francine A. LeFrak is the daughter of the late Samuel J. LeFrak and Ethel Stone LeFrak ’41, who served as a Barnard trustee from 1981 to 1985.
An expert group of health and wellness professionals help shape the Center’s strategic direction and programming.
To make an online gift to the Francine LeFrak Center, please click the button below. If you would like to discuss the Francine LeFrak Center’s fundraising priorities in greater detail, please contact Kate Martinez, Assistant Vice President for Development and Alumnae Relations, at (212) 853-8329 or kmartinez@barnard.edu.
