UPDATES
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Summer Wrap Up
I know that it has been a bit since a newsletter went out. One of the reasons is because we have been busy at the youth summer camps offering a wide variety of mental health programs. The youth are finding new ways to improve their mental health, sometimes without even realizing it. We interacted with over 325 youth at four different centers and brought in some new activities this summer. We were usually at two camps each day, so it was a full schedule. One of our goals is to continue to find opportunities for them to become more involved in community projects. This gives them a sense of purpose and teaches them necessary skills such as communication, compromise and team building. We will keep you posted on what projects we have in the works. Thank you again to The White Family Foundation for believing in our programs and supporting us in our mission.
The decals that we designed to be used as an identifier to notify First Responders that someone with a mental health condition may reside at the residence they are responding to. They are continuing to be distributed in Pasco County and will soon be available in Pinellas County. The key is to make sure all law enforcement agencies and fire departments are on board before we can start giving them directly to citizens. As soon as that is accomplishment, which is a bit time consuming then we can start working with organizations that would be involved in distributing them directly to the public. Slow process but we feel this can make a difference in the interaction of First Responders and someone in a mental health crisis.
Dawn had the privilege to attend as well as present at Pinellas County Schools Climate, Behavior, and Mental Health Summer Institute in June. She did a three hour presentation on Suicide Awareness, Prevention and Intervention, which received positive feedback. We will be working with the principals and other leadership to present a one hour program to high school students. We will also be contacting PTA and SAC presidents to offer a presentation titled " How to Have a Conversation With Your Child About Mental Health". This should be starting in the fall of this year.
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Thank you to Blick Art Materials for their generous gift card donation that will assist us with purchasing art supplies for our youth. www.dickblick.com
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We continue to design new and innovative programs and will keep you updated on those. I wanted to get this newsletter out since it has been a few months. I encourage you to visit our website and FB page to see what we have been doing all summer along with some great pictures. Speak Up: Let's Talk About Mental Health Non Profit is our FB page.
REMEMBER TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NOVEMBER 9TH, 6P-9P FOR OUR THIRD ANNUAL MYSTERY BOX FUNDRAISER. DETAILS TO FOLLOW SHORTLY.
Thank you again to everyone that supports us, we couldn't have a positive impact without you!!
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