$510 by 5/10!!

It’s May! My birthday month and Mental Health Awareness month! This year I’m doing something special and asking people to donate to Dreams of Hope Foundation, a local nonprofit that is near and dear to my heart. My goal is to raise $510 since my birthday is on May 10th. We are participating in Give Local 757, payments can be scheduled from now until May 14th, which is the official 24 hour giving day!

I’m not just doing this to raise money for my job, but because these funds will be used to serve mentally ill people in my community. I have struggled with my mental health for a while but thankfully I’ve been blessed with an amazing support system. There are many people who aren’t as fortunate but Dreams of Hope strives to support them by providing clothing, food, toiletry items, free eyeglasses and a host of other services.

Being able to help my community in such a way is truly eye opening. The people who come into my office every day have varied stories and backgrounds and have come so far while others still have a long way to go. I am blessed to have the opportunity to help them no matter where they are in their stage of life.

I oftentimes find myself reminiscing on my own struggles with my mental health and how far I’ve come. It’s hard to believe that almost 11 years ago I tried to take my own life. During this time I was misdiagnosed as bipolar and forced to take some very strong medicine that made me devoid of all emotions. In the following years since that happened other therapists helped me realize that I was really suffering from PTSD as a result of being raped. Meanwhile I was trying to graduate from college while dealing with all of this but thankfully, I made it out.

The years after have had their ups and downs but I’m extremely grateful I’m here to experience them. And now I have the opportunity to bless others, how amazing is that? It is my hope that you’ll help me continue to bless others by donating to my campaign. This is our first year participating in Give Local 757 and it definitely won’t be our last.

Thank you for any and all contributions but most of all thank for you taking the time to read my story. This is my own little corner of transparency on these here internets and the only place where I feel I can share these thoughts or musings rather. Maybe one day I’ll go into more detail, maybe I won’t but I have plenty of time on this planet to figure that out!

Prioritize your self care and take whatever steps you need to stay healthy mentally. If you need to talk you can always reach out to me or utilize the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255 or, if you’re a Virginia resident not in need of emergency services you can call the Warm Line at 1-866-400-6428.