Welcome to June. In some ways this has been the longest year of my life and in others it has gone quickly. It depends upon the day. As always I look forward to the first of the month because it is time to share our donation amount for our Comments for the Cause and reveal our latest cause.
This past month I selected Transylvania Tomorrow as our recipient of our Comments for a Cause. Our little local community and county has really taken a hard hit during the Covid-19 pandemic shut down. It’s been tough for our small businesses to stay alive and this fund is a real positive in our area.
The Tranyslvania Tomorrow Small Business Emergency Relief fund is an initiative created by the Transylvania Business Support Task Force to support Transylvania County small businesses during the COVID-19 epidemic. The program, which will be funded through the Community Focus Foundation 501(c)(3) will award grants up to $3,000. Many small businesses have already applied for and received funds from this great initiative.
Thanks to all who have read my posts and taken the time to comment on them Chris and I are happy to announce that we will be making a donation of $125 to Transylvania Tomorrow. As businesses slowly reopen it is important to continue to support them and to raise funds for this initiative. Thank you to all who have taken time to leave a comment.
Here are some sobering facts.
- 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year
- 1 in 25 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year
- 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
- 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. I have chosen NAMI to be our June Comments for a Cause recipient. May was actually Mental Health Awareness month but in my opinion every month should be.
NAMI provides support and education in a myriad of ways for both those who find themselves with a mental illness diagnosis and those who love and support them. It is not an easy system to navigate and I have heard personal testimonials from many who have shared with me what this organization has done to help them during a specific time of need.
One of the things that comes along with a mental illness is a stigma. One of the big pushes for the month has been to promote a #StigmaFree campaign. Click here to take the quiz and to support the #StigmaFree initiative.
Please take time to check out the National Alliance on Mental Illness sometime during the month of June. It has so much information for everyone and even includes information that is helpful during the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent racist incidents. Mental illness can be treated. It can only not be treated if folks do not seek help. Suicide prevention is a huge goal of mental illness education. At the end of this post I will share direct links to several places that offer help. Please share these and maybe even print out the numbers and links so that you have them when the situation arises that you can share them.
We are all in this together and it is up to each of us to share our knowledge and our help with others. Be kind. Be well. As always, thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Each comment made on any post during the month means a 50 cent donation (capped at $500) to NAMI as our Comments for a Cause recipient.
National Alliance on Mental Health Website
National Alliance on Mental Health Facebook page
National Suicide Prevention Line – 1-800-273-8255
First Responders and Health Care Workers: Safe Call Now 206-459-3020
11 Comments
Leave a commentA worthy cause. Thanks for recognizing the importance of dealing with mental health issues. You rock!!
Thanks, Darlene. It is so important to recognize this as a real issue that we need to all acknowledge and help with.
Thank you Beth and Happy June!
Thanks so much!
Small businesses sure have had a tough time during this pandemic and I wonder how many won’t make it. That makes me sad.
And me Tal health is so important and shouldn’t be such a taboo subject. I’m glad that more people are opening up about their struggles and that it’s becoming a bit more acceptable to talk about. Always happy to support another one of your great causes.
Thanks so much, Susi. Mental health issues are close to my heart –I know so many families who have struggled with loved ones including our own. It is time to be more open about it and understand that it can be treated just like any other illness. Thanks for your continuing support.
Our stay-at-home order might be lifted June 12. If so it will be just shy of 3 months we’ve stayed at home here in Michigan. Not that many people still seem to be staying in…but at least they’re wearing masks when they go out. I haven’t ventured far, the grocery store mostly. I’ve taken Katie to a local park a couple times, gone for walks there myself a couple times. But I’m itching to camp further away, to just get in the car and go somewhere. Anywhere. Still. Now it’s probably more dangerous then ever as people start to get lax. So…we shall see.
Dawn, the stay at home order is challenging for sure but I keep reminding myself that it is for the good of everyone to be cautious. With a couple of health care professionals in our immediate family I am heeding their advice and being cautious even if others choose not to be quite as cautious. I try to not “judge” how someone is dealing with it . But especially now–mental health services need to be available for folks. There are even more challenges now.Thanks for leaving your thoughts!
A very important cause, Beth Ann, more now than ever. Last month in less than month a part I had two dear friends lose a love one to suicide. Age 24 & 30. My heart broke for them. They are christian ladies but to lose a granddaughter and son I can not imagine the heart break. People need to be more educated about mental illness it is real and all around us. Thanks so much for sponsoring this great cause. .
This is a cause near and dear to my heart as well, Beth Ann. My dad was a regional officer with NAMI! Several members of my immediate family have had mental health struggles and it means so much to have an organization that provides good information and personal health for this illness. Thank you for supporting!
I have so many friends and family with connections to NAMI in some way or another. It is truly a great source of help and resources. Thanks for sharing about your dad!