Across the Affiliate Network

Affiliates Making a Difference

MHA affiliates in Colorado, North Dakota, Utah and New Mexico are launching their Eliminating Disparities projects this summer, built on the work they did together at the multi-state meeting in March in Albuquerque, N.M. Working collaboratively on upcoming projects, they plan to meet “on the border” in late August.

Colorado: Mental Health America of Colorado has set October 30, 2008, as the date to kick off our centennial celebration, and their 55th year of service to the people of their great state!

Hawai’i: Mental Health America in Maui (Hawai’i) presented its 14th annual Children’s Wellness Poster Contest Awards on Saturday, April 26 at a local shopping center. The poster contest educates children about good mental health by asking them to draw pictures of what makes them “feel good.” A curriculum has been provided to teachers to start discussions about how to deal with and avoid stress in their lives. The MHA acknowledged 72 elementary school students, who received prizes donated by more than 30 sponsors from the business community, and the County of Maui mayor awarded certificates of achievement to each of the 900 children who submitted posters.

Indiana: Mental Health America in Allen County held its 50th Annual Meeting on May 5th at the Marriott Hotel. The evening differed from many of its previous annual meetings in featuring a light-hearted lineup of acts which stressed this year’s theme of “Achieving Balance.” This meeting also announced a campaign to raise $50,000 to cover the expenses of the MHA’s educational programs for children, which have been serving local schools for 35 years. The Campaign has already raised $23,000 from the MHA’s board of directors and their friends.

Iowa: The MHA of Dubuque County recently collaborated with 29 other community agencies to provide the “All The Way Home – Tri-States Veterans Conference” on May 17, 2008 at the Five Flags Center. Over 1600 veterans and their family members attended.

New Jersey: Ray Cortese, director of Consumer Connections at the MHA in New Jersey, has been selected by the National Association of Peer Specialists (NAPS) to receive the “Bridge Builder—Peer Support Advocate of the Year” Award at the Association’s National Conference being held in Philadelphia, PA, August 19-21st. The award recognizes Ray Cortese for his leadership in promoting peer support on the state and national level through the creation of the Community Mental Health Associate (CMHA) and Peer Specialist Associate (PSA) credentials in New Jersey, integration of WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) into peer support models, and the expanding peer services at the VA in N.J.

New Jersey: This year, The New Jersey Mental Health Players Program of the MHA of New Jersey will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary of providing community education throughout New Jersey and the program will be honoring all of its 35 incredibly dedicated trained volunteers sometime this fall!

North Carolina: The MHA in North Carolina is pleased to announce that the organization has been chosen to receive $10,000 from Janssen to support its Hispanic/Latino outreach initiative. In partnership with the Latin American Women’s Club, the MHA will utilize this funding for “Vivir Mas, Vivir Mejor,” a public awareness and antistigma campaign designed to educate the Hispanic/ Latino community about mental health and wellness.

North Carolina: MHA in Forsyth County’s (N.C.) annual special event and fundraiser, Hope Rings, was held on June 28 in Winston-Salem. The event, consisting of a raffle, live auction, contests and live entertainment raised more than $20,000 for the Affiliate.

South Carolina: In May, The PACE Center (formerly MHA of the Piedmont) in Spartanburg, S.C. was recognized by MHA in S.C. as “staffed affiliate of the year” and also received a plaque from the Spartanburg County Council for its efforts on behalf of raising awareness of mental health issues in seniors. In August, the MHA will present (for the 3rd time) its training on “Mental Wellness in Seniors” to the S.C. School of Gerontology. For more information, visit www.mhapiedmont.org.

Texas: The Mental Health America of Greater Houston’s Operation Redirect, Harris County Juvenile Probation Department and Children at Risk have recently joined forces to develop a juvenile mental health docket/ schedule in Harris County. A juvenile mental health docket will allow the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department in collaboration with the juvenile court judges to coordinate effective services for seriously mentally ill juvenile offenders. This project is in the preliminary stages of development.