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March 5, 2020 - In This Issue:
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By Trish Larsen, Executive Director
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I was driving home the other night. It was almost 6 p.m. The sun had been out all day and I was drawn to the colors in the sky. It was still just a little light outside. It caught my attention and I realized we almost there--it was almost spring. We all anticipate spring. There is more light, more color, and more time spent outdoors with friends and family. We feel just a bit refreshed and renewed. This spring, Minding Your Mind will be unveiling our new look with a fresh message for you all. Just like a sun setting in anticipation of another dawn, s
omething new (and big! and exciting!) is on the horizon for us. We hope you will be watching! In the meantime enjoy today's news.
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Join Our Challenge Grant!
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You can Help Minding Your Mind Earn $40,000
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By the end of 2020, Minding Your Mind presentations will have officially reached over 1,000,000 students and the adults in their lives. We are celebrating this achievement throughout 2020 with special events and initiatives (stay tuned!). We are thrilled to begin the celebration by announcing an exciting and generous opportunity for Minding Your Mind!
In honor of our milestone year, Donna Brooks, a member of Minding Your Mind's Board of Directors, has made an incredibly generous offer: Donna will match any new or increased donations, dollar-for-dollar, up to $40,000! This additional grant will allow us to provide 80 programs that otherwise would go unfunded.
If you've not donated to Minding Your Mind before, making a gift today will double the value of your donation. If you are a current donor, we hope that you thoughtfully consider renewing your gift to Minding Your Mind to help us secure this challenge grant. These amounts will be matched dollar-for-dollar, making them worth twice the amount, reaching twice the people, making twice the impact in helping us reach our 1,000,000th mind. Thank you for all that you do to support Minding Your Mind!
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Gifts & Grants Received Since
December 2019
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Duck Cup Memorial Fund
In Memory of Jake Weber
In Memory of Jeremy David Hunn
The Jed Foundation
KyleCares
Patricia Kind Foundation
Ringer Run Benefit
The Rite Aid Foundation
Todd Snider
Travelers Cyber Grants
Trent Stetler Memorial Fund
YourCause Vanguard Employee Giving
Eileen & Philip Youtie
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Minding Your Mind New England is very excited to welcome our newest Young Adult Speaker, Elizabeth. Learn more about Elizabeth in the
Featured Speaker section of this newsletter.
JOIN OUR TEAM!
We are searching for new speakers to specifically serve
Connecticut, Rhode Island, Greater Boston and communities in
Eastern Massachusetts.
If you are interested in learning more, please contact New England regional director Michelle Drolsbaugh at
[email protected]. If you are ready to apply please fill out our
online application!
Fall Back, Spring Ahead!
With Daylight Saving Time right around the corner, soon the days will be full of sunshine and flowers with the promise of warm weather and smiling faces. Here at Minding Your Mind, we're reminded that for those suffering with depression and suicidal ideation this can be an increasingly challenging time. While others may approach long, sunny days with an elevation in mood, the contrast of what folks who are struggling feel inside and what they see on the outside may be a large contributing factor to why so many struggle more in the spring. According to the CDC, suicide rates tend to spike in the spring. In order to counteract this troubling trend, we want you to know the signs of struggle, and most importantly please don't be afraid to ask others if they need help or ask for help for yourself!
If you or someone you know are in crisis please consider calling 1-800-273-8255 or texting 741741. We love you and want you here!
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MYM at West Morris Mendham High School
Minding Your Mind had the privilege of addressing more than 60 parents and staff members of West Morris Mendham High School. The community has had several difficult experiences to manage in recent years and is coming together to offer increased support for students, parents, and all people who have been impacted. Young Adult Speaker
Scott
(pictured above) and New Jersey & New York Director Guy Iacono presented
"Just Talk About It"
and then facilitated a lively and thoughtful Q&A session.
We were honored to be trusted with having an important conversation in this community
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North Brunswick Soccer Club is hosting its first Annual Mental Health Awareness Charity 5K to benefit Minding Your Mind! Runners and walkers are welcome to join us on Sunday, April 19, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. The event will take place at the Community Park in North Brunswick, NJ. For more details and registration
A Celebration of Life: New Jersey
Returns for 2020!
Mark your calendar for September 24, 2020 to join us for an evening of remembrance and celebration. We are thrilled to return to the Spring Lake Bath & Tennis Club to have fun while being philanthropic. A Celebration of Life began in 2011 to honor the memory of Kyle Craig, a 21-year-old student at Vanderbilt University who took his life in May of 2010. Kyle was raised in Spring Lake, and a dynamic friend to many; a bright, handsome, and gifted individual across music and athletics, but whose strength of character enabled his growing struggles to be hidden from view. In the nine years since it began in Nashville, this annual event has expanded to New York, Philadelphia, and now New Jersey, engaging more than 4,000 young professionals in the service of suicide prevention and mental health awareness.
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ACOLNJ 2019 Planning Committee
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Team MYM Takes On New Jersey Marathon
Team Minding Your Mind is running the 2020 New Jersey Marathon & Half Marathon to support mental health education programs for schools and communities. All proceeds raised by our runners will allow us to provide free programs to organizations that otherwise would not be able to afford mental health education for their students or constituents. To support Team Minding Your Mind or join us,
click here
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CLICK
LINKS FOR MORE INFO
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Longmeadow, MA
March 12, 2020
Conshohocken, PA
Longmeadow High School
Longmeadow, MA
March 20, 2020
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT
March 26, 2020
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
March 28, 2020
Beverly, MA
March 29, 2020
Dolyestown, PA
March 30-31, 2020
Newton, MA
April 2, 2020
The Office of the Northwestern District Attorney's Safe and Healthy School Summit
Holyoke, MA
April 2, 2020
Warwick, RI
April 5, 2020
Philadelphia, PA
April 7, 2020
Philadelphia, PA
April 15, 2020
Westborough, MA
April 15, 2020
Plainville, MA
April 19, 2020
North Brunswick, NJ
May 2, 2020
Middletown, RI
May 9, 2020
Newtown, PA
May 13, 2020
Framingham, MA
May 18 & 19, 2020
2020 Pennsylvania Mental Health & Wellness Conference
State College, PA
May 20, 2020
Springfield, MA
May 28, 2020
Uncasville, CT
May 29, 2020
Philadelphia, PA
May 29, 2020
Salem State University
Salem, MA
September 24, 2020
Spring Lake, NJ
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Click any icon to follow MYM!
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MYM hosts an active and ever-growing community of individuals who are interested in making mental health education a priority in our society. We have over 5,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and there is always room for one more. On our networks we share information about events, partnerships, and timely news and articles relevant to the mental health community. Come see what everyone is talking about!
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Corporate Wellness Workshop Provides Overview of MYM Programs
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On the morning of February 19, 40 people representing businesses and organizations from the Greater Philadelphia area joined MYM to learn more about our Corporate Wellness Program and the impact it can have in their workplaces.
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Workshop attendees listen to MYM clinical director Sheila Gillin
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L-R: Sheila Gillin, Andrew Onimus, Kirstin Day, Brandon Everett
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The feedback received from attendees was extremely positive and reinforced the value of a program that can address a variety of needs in offices and workplaces. Feedback received from attendees included these comments:
The statistics offered in the beginning are incredibly compelling...I really believe you've got something very big here and are just discovering the 'tip of the iceberg'.
Have more workshops. Excellent
Personal stories were touching and thought provoking.
Thank you for all that you do!
Attendees practice mindfulness techniques with Brandon Everett
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NEW PROGRAM ALERT!
Minding Trauma: Education on Trauma-Informed Practices
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Carol Labor, MSEd, DrPH
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The effects of trauma can cause mental health challenges in students. The manifestations of these challenges can have a significant impact on their ability to successfully develop personally, socially, and academically. How do we address this specific yet growing issue facing schools and communities?
Studies have shown that trauma decreases cognitive ability, increases risky behaviors, causes depression, and can be detrimental to physical development and ongoing health.
Minding Trauma provides information and instruction that results in the ability for adults to create a welcoming, supportive, and informed environment for all young people, whether they are an individual who is experiencing the effects of trauma or the peer of a someone who is. Participants will gain a greater understanding of how to help the young people in their lives overcome these challenges and forge a path to healthier development.
Utilizing her lived experience of depression and trauma, Dr. Carol Labor specializes in psychoeducation on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in vulnerable communities.
Dr. Labor's advocacy and research is grounded in the intersectionality of race and health disparities in mental health services, trauma, and gender-based violence (GBV) for women and girls in multicultural and multilingual communities. Click here to learn more...
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The Rite Aid Foundation Names
Minding Your Mind
2020 KidCents Partner
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We are honored to announce that The Rite Aid Foundation has selected Minding Your Mind to participate in its 2020 KidCents program, which annually supports a select group of nonprofit, kid-focused organizations committed to improving the health and wellbeing of children living in the communities Rite Aid serves.
In addition to being selected as a KidCents charity, Minding Your Mind will receive a $5,000 grant, which will be used to bring mental health education to organizations that otherwise would not have access to these programs. This is the fifth year that Minding Your Mind has been selected to be a KidCents charity and the recipient of a generous grant from The Rite Aid Foundation.
The Rite Aid Foundation welcomed a total of 481 nonprofits to its 2020 KidCents class - its largest class ever.
For a full list of KidCents charities and to learn more about how Rite Aid's wellness+ rewards members can support charities in their own communities, please visit
www.kidcents.com.
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Looking Forward
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MYM Announces Date for 2020
A Celebration of Life: Philadelphia
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Join us on Friday, May 29, 2020
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We are thrilled to invite you to join us at the 5th Annual
A Celebration of Life: Philadelphia on Friday, May 29, 2020 (new this year, it's FRIDAY!) at the Ballroom at the Ben. All proceeds will support mental health education programs and suicide prevention training in the greater Philadelphia area. Tickets are $80 and sponsorships are available. For more information,
click here. To join the ACOLP info list, email your name, email, cell # to
[email protected] with ACOLP LIST as the subject. That way you won't miss a thing!
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Wharton 5K to Benefit MYM
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We are thrilled and grateful to announce that the Wharton Council and the Wharton Roadrunners have selected Minding Your Mind as the beneficiary of the 8th Annual Wharton 5K, the University of Pennsylvania's largest 5K. Join us on Sunday, April 5, 2020, at iconic Penn Park for this fun and unique community event. To learn more and register,
click here.
At last year's race, film students from Temple University
made a mini documentary about the relationship between physical activity and mental health, featuring the Wharton 5K and Minding Your Mind. Take a moment to watch this film by Michael Sottile, Julian Brown, and Cora Isom. We are inspired by the work done by Michael, Julian, Cora and the student leaders of Wharton to increase awareness and further conversations about mental health and wellness.
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Kind Minds Now Available in NJ
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Education program for students K-4th grade
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Introduced in Pennsylvania to start the 2019-2020 school year, Minding Your Mind brings our Kind Minds program to elementary schools in New Jersey.
Designed for a classroom setting of students in grades K-4, Kind Minds: Emotions, Kindness & Empathy for Children teaches children how to identify and regulate their emotions, display kind responses and positive behaviors to peers, and enhance their self-esteem through meaningful connections. This interactive presentation has exercises in how to engage in kind acts and build empathy, increasing understanding of how emotions impact thoughts and behaviors. Learn more and book a program...
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Event to Support
The Jake Weber Fund
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Join Flanigan's Boathouse Conshohocken in
Celebrating the Life of Jake Weber on Thursday, March 12th
with the release of Wissahickon Brewing Company "Web's World" collaboration IPA. The Weber family teamed up with local brewery Wissahickon Brewing Co. to brew a very special beer in honor of Jake Weber and his family. The end result was a 7.7% ABV New England IPA that tastes like Wissahickon truly outdid themselves!
Flanigan's Boathouse and the Weber Family invite you all to share this beer with them both on draft and in cans for a great cause: $2 of every draft and $5 of every 4 pack of cans sold will be donated to
The Jake Weber Fund at Minding Your Mind. This fund was established with the goal of helping to prevent other families from experiencing the devastation that comes from losing a loved one by suicide. We hope to see you there!
More information...
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Ovations
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"
Kelly and her story were wonderful resources to us. She was professional, connected well with our students, provided an impacting presentation and then answered student questions very thoughtfully. We're so thankful for her bravery in sharing and for the entire organization to partner with in addressing the need for conversations surrounding mental health."
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Featured Speaker
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Elizabeth has a purpose, and it's no longer to be the smallest version of herself.
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Elizabeth always knew that she had a purpose. But from a very early age, she thought that purpose was to be perfect. In a house filled with chaos and chronic illness, Elizabeth felt she needed to appear happy, healthy, and high-achieving. Yet underneath, she was in pain. She felt uncomfortable in her own skin, terrified of disappointing the people around her, and ashamed of her inability to reach perfection and, thus, fulfill her purpose. This conviction that perfection was her purpose drove Elizabeth to seek control amidst the chaos of her surroundings through list-making, perseverating, self-harm, excessive exercise, and disordered eating. Eventually, it was too much and she attempted suicide to get away from her pain.
With the support of her loving parents, several hospitalizations, medication, and regular therapy, Elizabeth began to embrace mental health recovery, working toward balancing control with chaos and incorporating grounding techniques, yoga, and other skills she brought into her daily life.
When she got to college, Elizabeth experienced a traumatic assault that put her recovery on hold. This time, instead of trying to control the chaos she found herself experiencing once again, Elizabeth gave in to it. She began drinking heavily, and soon found her life governed by alcohol and substances, risky behaviors, and overwhelming depression. When Elizabeth woke up one early morning in handcuffs after an arrest she didn't remember, she realized that if there was ever a time to give herself fully to recovery, this was it.
She started by abandoning the idea that her purpose was perfection. She started to live more in the "gray" of life instead of racing to occupy either the perfection or the chaos. She began to truly synthesize things she'd learned, and to put them into meaningful practice into her life. Most importantly, she committed to choosing recovery every day, because she knows now that she has a purpose, and that the things she was engaging in before - self-harm, disordered eating and excessive exercise, suicidal thoughts, substance use - were making her a smaller version of herself.
Today, Elizabeth thinks her purpose is to share her experience with others to help them recognize that they are not alone, that hope and healing are worth more than perfection, and that they, too, have an important purpose in this world.
To book a program with Elizabeth (based in Boston, MA) or one of our other Young Adult Speakers, please click here.
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