Please donate this weekend to help people with mental illness
Summer Berman
Many of you know that mental health and mental illness are issues that impact me both personally and professional, and that much of my energy goes toward helping others who are impacted by mental illness and also working to change cultural perceptions and expectations of those living with mental illness.
In less than 24 hours my friend (and Fresh Start Advisory Board Chair) Stephanie Precter and I are running the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon in support of Fresh Start, and I am asking for your support as well.
First, this is my first major race and 13.1 miles is a lot of miles and I'm nervous! Please send me lots of good vibes on Sunday morning. I will definitely not be winning any time awards, but I've been training for this event for several months and it will be my longest distance run ever. As a busy professional, finding time to train has been a very big undertaking. As someone who has exercise-induced asthma, uses an inhaler, and hated running up until just a few years ago, this is huge personal accomplishment. I'm very proud of myself for setting and (in less than a day from now!) achieving this goal.
Second, I am running to fundraise for Fresh Start Clubhouse and your financial donation would be greatly appreciated. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Fresh Start in any amount you are comfortable with. All funds will go toward providing rehabilitation services to people living with disabilities such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The more money we raise, the more lives we can impact.
Please take just a few moments this weekend to help.
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Everyone needs to feel like they belong somewhere, that their life has meaning and purpose. The development of a sense of self-efficacy is crucial to healthy adult functioning. People living with mental illness often face social isolation and stigma that prevents them from developing protective social relationships and a strong sense of self-worth and value.
Fresh Start helps people with mental illness get these things – and their lives – back.
We help people whose professional and academic careers have been interrupted by mental illness return to work and school. We help people whose senses of belonging and self-efficacy have been disrupted by illness and stigma to create vocationally meaningful and socially satisfying lives.
Currently Fresh Start serves people receiving mental health services through Washtenaw County Community Mental Health through a CMH service contract, however mental illness can and does affect people from all walks of life, not just those with a particular type of health insurance. Fresh Start is embarking on a fundraising campaign to make our services available to everyone with mental illness in Washtenaw County. Your contribution will help us move toward being able to provide rehabilitation services to everyone who needs them.
1 in 4 people has a mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder. 90% of the 800,000 deaths by suicide globally each year are related to a mental health disorder.
Contributing to your local Clubhouse can help prevent suicide, reduce expensive hospitalizations and incarcerations, and promote a life worth living for citizens of your community.
Mental health and illness are issues that are important to me personally and professionally. Please take a moment to make a tax-deductible contribution to Fresh Start this weekend. Thank you!
For more information please visit:
Fresh Start - a Fountain House/Clubhouse model working community serving Washtenaw County, MI
Fountain House - originator of the Fountain House/Clubhouse model of rehabilitation, a SAMHSA recognized Evidence-Based Practice
Clubhouse International - a global network of working communities dedicated to the rehabilitation of men and women living with mental illness. Mental Illness and Clubhouse Infographic
Fountain House/Clubhouse International Receives $1.5 Million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize - The Fountain House/Clubhouse Model of Rehabilitation is recognized by The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation which presents the annual award, the world’s largest humanitarian prize, to an organization that is doing extraordinary work to alleviate human suffering.
...or contact me for more information on other ways you can support our community!
Thank you for your support!
Fresh Start is a program of Touchstone Services, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Director
Fresh Start Clubhouse
2051 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
"Fresh Start Clubhouse is an intentional working community for adults living with mental illness that focuses on wellness and abilities. The Clubhouse promotes recovery through opportunities for members to work, learn, and contribute their talents to our community of mutual support."
Summer Berman
Many of you know that mental health and mental illness are issues that impact me both personally and professional, and that much of my energy goes toward helping others who are impacted by mental illness and also working to change cultural perceptions and expectations of those living with mental illness.
In less than 24 hours my friend (and Fresh Start Advisory Board Chair) Stephanie Prechter and I are running the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon in support of Fresh Start, and I am asking for your support as well.