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ABOUT
Dedicated to Educating About Mental Health
The Mental Health Foundation(MHF) was created in 1990 by Touchstone innovare, the largest case management agency in Kent County serving the mentally ill population. The Foundation was started "to create and sustain a community which supports and understands people with mental illness." A major goal of the Mental Health Foundation is to reduce the demoralizing stigma that is associated with mental illness. Stigma is the number one barrier to people seeking treatment. We must foster a deeper understanding of mental illness, its impact on the individual, their family and on our community as a whole.
The evolution of the Live, Laugh, Love Program: Educating Youth about Mental Health
In 2004, Kent County Suicide Coalition studies showed an increase in death by suicide among teenagers between the ages of 14 and 24 in Kent County. The Executive Director, Christy Buck and her staff decided it was time to do something about this! In- line with our mission “to create and sustain a community which supports and understands people with mental illness,” we created our Live Laugh Love: Educating Youth about Mental Health Program.
In 2006, the Mental Health Foundation received a Federal Block Grant to pilot the Live Laugh Love Program. The block grant ended in 2007 and the sustainability of this program has been dependent upon funding from grants, foundations, fundraising and private donations. The education Program is now entering its seventh year and has not only managed to sustain, but has expanded.
Our Live Laugh Love: Educating Youth about Mental Health Program is a comprehensive mental health curriculum taught in middle and high school classrooms. A variety of lesson plans and topics address the current mental health conditions that students are experiencing in their day to day lives; bullying, depression and coping skills, just to name a few! Our unique program is currently being taught in Grandville, Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Kentwood, and Forest Hills Public School Districts. Only 10% of school systems across America have a comprehensive mental health program in their schools. We have presented Live Laugh Love to more than 12,000 students throughout Kent County.
Want to help? Click here to find out the various ways you can help sustain the Live, Laugh, Love: Educating our Youth about Mental Health Program.
