|
November is a mix of things to celebrate.
National Adoption Awareness Month
Each year, November is recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. While all adoption-related issues are important, the particular focus of this month is the adoption of children currently in foster care.
The first major effort to promote awareness of the need for adoptive families for children in the foster care system came in 1976, when Massachusetts governor Mike Dukakis initiated Adoption Week, an idea that grew in popularity and spread throughout the nation.
President Gerald Ford later made the first National Adoption Week proclamation, and in 1990, the week was expanded to a month due to the number of states participating and the number of events celebrating and promoting adoption.
During the month, states, communities, public and private organizations, businesses, families, and individuals celebrate adoption as a positive way to build families. Activities and observances across the nation, such as recognition dinners, public awareness and recruitment campaigns, and special events shed light on children who are in need of permanent families.
The month also includes National Adoption Day, traditionally a Saturday, which is observed in courthouses across the nation, where thousands of adoptions are finalized simultaneously.
We encourage you to embrace National Adoption Awareness Month and serve as champions of adoption every day!
International Stress Awareness Week (Nov 2-5)
Coined in 2018, International Stress Awareness Week expanded upon Stress Awareness Day, which started in 1998, to draw further attention to the issue.
Founded from one of the most important international days, the event works in unison with the Mental Health Awareness campaign to impact business leaders, Governments, and the public alike.
The purpose of Stress Awareness Week is to highlight the physical and mental impact of stress, as well as what we must all do to safeguard our wellbeing.
WHEN IS INTERNATIONAL STRESS AWARENESS WEEK 2022?
International Stress Awareness Week runs from the 7th to the 11th of November.
As Covid-19 has caused an increase in mental health issues, particularly loneliness and grief, this International Stress Awareness Week will focus on emotional management. It will also discuss the lack of investment in mental health services, as highlighted by the pandemic's devastating impact.
WHY IS STRESS MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT?
With 74% of people reportedly unable to cope with the levels of stress in their lives, stress management is more important now than ever. The psychological effects of stress result in 61% feeling anxious, and a worrying 32% with suicidal thoughts.
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF STRESS?
Pressure to Succeed – 60% Young Adults
Self-Image – 49% of Young Adults
Health – 36% of Adults
Body Image – 36% of Women & 23% of Men
Housing – 32% of Young Adults
Work – 26% of Adults
Debt – 22% of Adults
With such staggering statistics in mind, International Stress Awareness Week is a vital event for us all to recognize, particularly in the workplace where burnout is common.
As the humble office is the cause of so much stress, which includes the financial and emotional pressures of work, corporate speakers are in high demand for their transformative power.
Stress management speakers are regularly booked to arm employees with a toolbox of wellbeing strategies, ideal for reducing their stress levels at work.
International Survivors of Suicide Day (Nov 19)
Nov. 23 is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, a day designated by Congress as a day for those affected by suicide to come together for healing and support. It falls on the Saturday before Thanksgiving each year.
More than 47,000 people in the U.S. died by suicide in 2017, and the suicide rate in the U.S. has increased every year for the past decade. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens and young adults (age 10 to 34) and the fourth leading cause among adults 35 to 54. Suicide occurs among people of all ages and demographic groups.
Each loss leaves family and friends grieving and struggling to understand and cope. Yet because of the stigma around suicide and mental illness, and complicated emotions around suicide, people often don’t reach out for support or get needed help to cope with the tragic loss.
Several recent studies point to the importance of talk and support for the well-being of survivors. One study of survivors of suicide loss found that feelings of belongingness, talking about the loss, and social support play critical roles in helping recovery and growth after the loss. A 2019 study of suicide loss found that more social support was significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms, decreased grief difficulties and increased personal growth.
Another study found that family and friends often do not talk about their tragedy with others and that the lack of sharing contributes to loneliness, detachment, more difficulty coping and a greater likelihood of sleep problems and depression. The authors conclude that when suicide survivors talk and share with others, the greater sense of support can help facilitate their recovery and protect them against persistent grief and harmful effects of bereavement.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention offers several ways for survivors of suicide to connect with others and find support during their grieving. These include individual support through healing conversations, connection to local support groups, information on self-care, and ways to honor loved ones.
AFSP also supports hundreds of Survivor Day events each year in which suicide loss survivors come together to find comfort, understanding and hope. In 2018, there were 370 Suicide Survivor Day events.
“For many, Survivor Day presents an opportunity to find the strength, within ourselves and alongside fellow suicide loss survivors. We attend programs on this day to help us gain new understanding about suicide, mental health, and grief,” Doreen Marshall, Ph.D, the vice president of programs for AFSP said in a statement.
Find a Survivor Day event near you.
Community Resources:
Visit FoundinFaithMD.org/get-help/apply/
to apply to the Fresh Start Furniture Program TODAY!
If you do not have computer access, please call 443-519-2464 ext. 2
ALL FURNITURE REQUESTS ARE SCHEDULED BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
If you need immediate help finding shelter or a place to eat, call 211.
Meals
Baltimore- Our Daily Bread Employment Center
725 Fallsway, Baltimore City
443-986-9000
PG CO- Bethel House 301-372-1700 & Salvation Army of Prince George’s County Food Pantry 301-277-6103
AA CO- Anne Arundel County Food Access WARM Line 410- 222- 3663 &
Anne Arundel County Food Bank
120 Marbury Drive Crownsville, MD 21032
Harford CO- Breathe 379, 2124 Nuttal Ave. Edgewood. Groceries, prepared food, clothes.
& EPICENTER, EPICENTER at Edgewood, 1918 Pulaski Hwy, Edgewood. 443.981.3742.
Mental Health Assistance
National Alliance for Mental Illness
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call 24/7: 1-800-273-8255
Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc.
Call 24/7: 410-433-5175 if you or someone you know needs help with a mental health crisis
Legal Services
Homeless Persons Representation Project (HPRP)
201 N. Charles St., Suite 1104, Baltimore City
410-685-6589 / 800-773-4340
Provides free legal aid to those experiencing or at risk of homelessness
Maryland Legal Aid
500 E. Lexington St., Baltimore City
410-951-7777
Provides a full range of free civil legal services to financially eligible individuals, with a focus on legal issues concerning elder rights, employment, family, public benefits, health care and housing
Reentry Services
Assists prisoners, ex-prisoners and others in need become independent, responsible citizens through civil legal assistance and re-entry services
Baltimore- Alternative Directions
2505 N. Charles St., Baltimore City
410-889-5072
PG CO- People Ready 5814 Baltimore Ave.
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781 (301)277-2172
AA CO- AmeriCorps (800) 942-2677
Identification
Beans and Bread
402 South Bond St., Baltimore City
410-732-1892
ID cards and birth certificates available on the first business day of the month to the first 5 to 10 people who arrive
Manna House
435 East 25th St., Baltimore
410-889-3001
Provides assistance with birth certificate and ID cards applications
Employment Assistance
ONE STOP CAREER CENTERS
Downtown One Stop Career Center
1100 North Eutaw St., Room 101, Baltimore City
410-767-2148
Eastside One-Stop Career Center
3001 East Madison St., Baltimore City
410-396-9030
Provides assistance with job search strategies, employment referrals and placement and other workforce services; offers access to copiers, faxes and phones
Northwest American Job Center (Re-entry Center)
Mondawmin Mall, Suite 302
2401 Liberty Heights Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21215
Telephone: 410-396-7873
DROP-IN CENTERS
Manna House
435 E. 25th St., Baltimore City
410-889-3001
Franciscan Center
101 W. 23rd St., Baltimore City
410-467-5340
H.O.P.E.
2828 Loch Raven Rd., Baltimore City
410-327-5830
Provides clothing, communication, laundry, food, recreation and showers
** For any other region specific info email socialmedia@emrcgroup.org **
| 
