STATISTICS
1 in 5
U.S. Adults experience mental illness each year
1 in 6
U.S. Youths between the age of 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year.
Suicide
is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34
11 years
It takes an average of 11 years from the onset of a mental illness before that person will seek treatment. We need to remove the stigma.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to remove the stigma of mental illness, provide education on mental illness and suicide prevention. We offer age-appropriate programs to our youth to teach them the importance of being mentally healthy. We work with community centers, schools and hold townhall meetings. We also work with parents to educate them on the signs to look for if their child is experiencing a mental health crisis, how to talk to their children and how important it is to listen to them. We offer resources to those that have lost someone to suicide or who may know someone with a mental illness. We started this organization so we could ensure that the funds we raise are used in our community. 100% of our proceeds go directly to fund local programs and events.
OUR STORY
My family and I started this non-profit, Speak Up: Let’s Talk About Mental Health, Inc. in memory of our oldest son, Scott who died by suicide in 2020 after a ten-year struggle with schizophrenia. Scott was an amazing young man, with his whole future ahead of him. He was handsome, athletic, kind, intelligent and loved. Scott fought a long hard battle with mental illness and our entire family was affected by this illness. We never gave up hope that he would find a way to manage the schizophrenia, but we learned quickly that it is very difficult to find quality mental health care in our country. We also experienced how much stigma is associated with mental illness and suicide. Suicide did not kill Scott, mental illness did. We vowed that we would change this in our community, beginning with the youth. There will always be a missing member of our family, and he will never be forgotten.
Our family never imagined that mental illness and suicide would have such an impact on our lives. On August 16, 2022, we lost another family member to mental illness and suicide. Shelly was my sister-in-law and Scott and Brian’s Aunt Shelly. She was a wife and a mother to two beautiful young women. She held a very special place in our hearts; always the life of the party, had an infectious laugh, very creative, she made everyone feel special, and so much more. Every time the family got together, we made great memories, a lot of credit for that goes to Shelly. We will treasure those memories and laughs which will help us get through this tragic loss. I know that she struggled with mental illness for quite a while because we shared many conversations about this topic. Her mental illness finally became too strong for her to fight anymore. I hope she knows how much she was loved, by so many different people. I know that Scott and she are sharing some laughs and practicing their Superman dance. She will be missed more than words can say. We will honor both her and Scott’s lives by making a change in how mental illness is perceived and treated in our society.
Updates on Programs
Meet Pension, the in-facility mental health canine for Largo Police Department. Speak Up was happy to sponsor Pension who will be a therapy resource for the officers, dispatchers and staff.
The tags that Pension will wear to honor Haley and Scott's memory.
Community Event at Tarpon Boys and Girls Club. A great success!!!
Program Success Stories
We are grateful to the Largo Police Dept. for our partnership in sponsoring Pension. Pension is a in-facility mental health K-9 that will be a therapy resource for the officers, dispatch and other staff. He will help the employees reach their pension benefits in a healthy mental state. He is an amazing dog, rescued from a shelter and is already changing the environment in the department. The funds were raised from the donations made in memory of Haley Fuhs, Curtis Fundamental SAVE Club and Speak Up.
Our first community event was a great success. It was held at Tarpon Boys and Girls Club and was free to the community. We had 20 vendors sharing their resources that are available at no charge to the community. We had many activities for the kids, free bicycles, bike helmets, CPR education, photo booth, face painting, education on wildlife, fire truck and so much more. We can't wait until we can host another community event. It is so important to bring the community together and to let residents know of the free resources that are available to them.
OUR SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS
