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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.