At this year's Legacy of Champions Luncheon, over 500 guests are gathering to support mental health services, honor our Community Champions and hear from our guest speaker Susan Kelechi Watson, actress as Beth Pearson on the NBC drama "This is Us", about her work as a youth activist and her own mental health related lived experiences. Sponsor, purchase tickets or volunteer today!

Mental health awareness is more important than ever right now. With the mental health crisis ongoing and the effects of the pandemic still looming, we're seeing an unprecedented demand for mental health services. To meet this demand, we need your help. By helping raise awareness of our services or giving a gift, you can help connect people with the proper resources and bring smiles back to our neighbors' faces.

Help spread positivity and support mental health with a beautiful arrangement from In Bloom Florist! In celebration of #MentalHealthMonth, In Bloom Florist are donating a portion of each Hope in Bloom arrangement sold in May to MHACF. 

The MHACF is grateful to be recognized for the efforts and resources our Board of Directors and team members have committed to placing diversity, equity and inclusion at the core of what we do. Did you know that in 2020 the organization adopted this

equity statement? “The Mental Health Association of Central Florida (MHACF) understands that violence, racism, hate, and discrimination undermine mental wellness and are significant contributors to individual and community trauma. Therefore, we are committed to breaking cycles of multi-generational distress for marginalized communities in all that we do by pledging to work against racism, bias, prejudice and discrimination at individual,

interpersonal, and institutional levels.”

Our annual Project Cheer campaign brings holiday cheer care packages to local behavioral hospital patients who won't be able to make it home for the holidays. This year, we're starting collections for Project Cheer early to be able to bring care packages to over 450 people. You can help make Project Cheer 2022 a success by starting a collections box in your business, organization or community today!

Our trained Guardian Advocates have been making a difference by representing nearly 500 behavioral health patients and serving as temporary surrogate decision makers and safety net for Baker Acted patients who have no family members to act on their behalf. You can help us reach those still in need by becoming a Guardian Advocate today!

In 2022, rates of suicidal ideation have risen the highest among young people, especially LGBTQ+ youth. Overall, adolescents in the 11-to-17 age range reported frequent suicidal ideation on more than half or nearly every day of the previous two weeks. That number rose to 52% for young people of color and 63% for youth who identified as LGBTQ+.

Learn how you can become a part of the movement working to combat these startling statistics by signing up at YouAreALifeguard.org. As a “Lifeguard” you’ll will receive suicide prevention materials and resources that will help you recognize the warning signs and

risk factors of suicide and understand how you can save lives.

The IACC is hosting their annual golf tournament at Falcon's Fire Golf Club on Sunday, May 15th, with proceeds benefitting MHACF. Sponsors and players welcome.

We are happy to have Alexei-Ann German joining our team as our Connections Program Manager and Sierra Ross joining as our Guardian Advocate Program Coordinator. They both bring a tremendous level of talent and experience to their roles and we are excited to have such terrific people working in service of our community.

The 988 Helpline, a universal phone number to call for suicide prevention and mental health crises, will be launching on July 16, 2022. While this is an exciting change that can reduce suicide rates and strain on emergency services and phone lines, it needs to be effectively funded to ensure life saving calls aren't going unanswered. Click below to find your state legislators and contact them to voice your support for 988 funding.