Mental Health HEROES Annual Oyster Roast Fundraiser-Waterfront Park DI

101 River Landing Drive,Charleston SC 29492

15 October, 2022

Description

Mental Health HEROES (H=Health, E=Empowerment, R=Recovery, O=Opportunity, E=Education, and S=Support) Our Community Needs Your Help Mental Illness has an extremely significant impact on a person’s life. This fact alone has an incredible impact on the ability of someone to seek appropriate treatment and to have the necessary support systems in place to receive effective care. One of the more significant challenges people face when dealing with mental illness is self-care. Consider a time when you may have been grieving or were faced with a significant personal challenge. You may have found yourself devoid of energy and absorbed in the challenge you were facing. Feeding your family, taking your medications, and paying the rent were no doubt some of the furthest things from your mind. Fortunately, for many of us, we have had the support systems (e.g., family, friends) to attend to those needs while we struggled. Now imagine you are suffering from persistent and chronic mental illness such as Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder where denial and stigma have an incredibly debilitating effect. They struggle with keeping track of medications and are often unable to hold down a job that might help them pay for everyday living needs. Adding to the problem is a struggling economy and a significantly underfunded system that cannot always support the immediate financial crises that impact these individuals and their families. Mental Health HEROES was created to address these kind of community challenges. Our organization exists to fill in the gaps and to offer immediate support for those who are unable to do so on their own at this point in time. We want to ensure people receive the care and support they need. Mental Health HEROES is a 501c3 non-profit organization established in 2008 to support the work of the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center (CDMHC). The organization was formed in response to the significant challenges faced every day by mental health patients that the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center could not address due to several budget and administrative constraints. Mental Health HEROES has become an important and valuable resource for CDMHC by raising funds to secure financial resources to help men, women, and children experiencing mental illness in our community men, by designing a system and process that allows CDMHC to respond quickly to the needs of patients, and by giving CDMHC access to grants and other resources that would otherwise be unavailable to CDMHC. The work of Mental Health HEROES has touched countless lives within our community. Our Mission The mission of Mental Health HEROES is to provide care and support to patients experiencing mental illness, in conjunction with activities and initiatives of the Charleston Dorchester Community Mental Health Center. Where Do Your Donations Go? Your donations go directly to patients who are in need of immediate help. All contributions to the organization no matter how small are appreciated and are tax deductible. Mental Health HEROES has been structured in a manner that allows it to respond quickly to the emergent financial needs of people living with mental illness. Below are just a few examples of how Mental Health HEROES financial resources have been put to use. • Paying for important medications • Access to assessment and treatment resources for a child or adult that would not otherwise be available • Help paying the electric bill for a family whose sole parent suffers from mental illness • Eye exams and eye glasses • Dentures • Transportation • Short term housing • Electric and water bills • Clothing