Special Edition of The July Buzz

The July Buzz

Monday when I learned that there was a shooting in Highland Park, I was at the parade in Lake Bluff and I knew that a mental health crisis was occurring. To respond, I contacted my local superintendent and offered to coordinate 20 therapists to arrive on Tuesday morning to see walk-in community members from 9am-2pm. Upon arrival, the demand and need for crisis intervention and mental health support was overwhelming. The response from a community of people offering their time, energy and resources to help was nothing short of extraordinary. Check out the below news and updates for more details on the work that's been done and ways that you can continue to support the Highland Park community.

Sincerely,

Audrey

Recent News & Updates

Highland Park Public Impact Statement

In partnership with School District 113, the City of Highland Park, the FBI and the Red Cross, we all were able to make the unimaginable happen. Over the course of five days (July 5-July 9), the pop up Community Counseling Team (CCT) saw survivors and individuals at a rapid rate. The following are the outcomes of our service.

Tuesday, July 5th we had 60 volunteer licensed therapists who served 318 walk-in community members; Wednesday, July 6th we had 99 volunteer licensed therapists who served 396 walk-in community members; Thursday, July 7th we had 154 volunteer licensed therapists who served 618 walk-in community members; Friday, July 8th we had 179 volunteer licensed therapists who served 1158 walk-in community members; and finally Saturday, July 9th we had 195 volunteer licensed therapists who served 744 walk-in community members.

In total during our operations we had 687 volunteer licensed therapists who served 3,234 community members.

Audrey To Join March Fourth in Washington, DC

Audrey Grunst and a small team of other mental health professionals have partnered with March Fourth in Washington, DC to demand action. There are over 500 people registered for the march to end gun violence on Wednesday, July 13th at the Capitol from 11am-2pm.

The mental health impacts of those involved in gun violence are wide reaching and need to be addressed on a federal level. You can follow Audrey on her personal IG account for updates, as well as follow March Fourth for their updates.

Donate Here

How Can I Help?

So many people are looking to help in the wake of the Highland Park and Uvalde shootings. Creating awareness of your personal (and family) values is a great place to start so that you don't feel overwhelmed. There are a lot of ways to support, advocate, educate and ultimately take action.

If you are a community member (see the resource doc):

Vote in local elections
Donate towards Go Fund Me Accounts
Meal trains for families affected
Attend a march or rally
Donate blood
Donate supplies
Support the clinicians who've volunteered their time with a donation towards appreciation kits
Educate yourself on how to talk to your children about gun violence
Follow organizations like "Moms Demand Action" or "BeSMART"

If you are a licensed therapist:

There are opportunities to volunteer at HPHS this week from 11am-7pm
You can contact Tiffany Etzel to volunteer
D113 is looking for licensed clinicians to volunteer over the next 4 Wednesdays starting on 7/20 at HPHS from 9am-12pm or 5pm-7pm to support the students of Highland Park High School & Deerfield High School
You can fill out this form with your availability and will be contacted as a volunteer if needed

Resource Doc

Know Your Rights

Senator Adrienne Jonson is a State Senator from Illinois' 30th District representing much of the Northern Suburbs and a portion of Lake County. If you would like to stay up-to-date on bills and legislation around mental health rights and protections you have, please feel free to join her newsletter here.