Funds Distributed
All of the funds we have raised in the U.S. to date have been distributed to the following organizations:
Arizona
All of the funds we have raised in Canada have been distributed to the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, B.C.
British Columbia, Canada
Arizona
- Empact - It is a behavioral health organization offering counseling, crisis intervention, prevention and aftercare services to youth, adults and families. They provide a suicide crisis line staffed 24/7 by trainer supervised crisis councilors, counseling and psychiatric services, SOS, Survivors of Suicide support groups and a "Teens Talking to Teens hotline". It is the only crisis intervention organization in Arizona certified by the American Association of Suicidology.
- Teen Life Line - Their mission is to impact the devastating problem of teen suicide through a free, confidential, peer supported hotline and life skills development that empowers Arizona youth to reach their full potential. Started in 1986 because there was no phone line specifically for teens. Available 24/7. They now take over 4,000 calls per year. A person always supervises the teens with a master's degree in counseling and social work that can deal with a crisis situation. They can also trace a call and send out a mobile team.
- Wendy Paine O'Brien Treatment Center - The Wendy Center offers unique programming for children ages 3 and up and for adolescents ages 13 through 17 who have behavioral health problems. The Howard S. Gray Education Program at the Wendy Paine O'Brien Treatment Center provides accredited/certified classroom instruction for junior and senior high school students who are disabled or emotionally handicapped. Each classroom teacher selects materials most appropriate for an individual student's program and learning capabilities.
- Not My Kid - Not My Kid, Inc. is dedicated to facilitating improved understanding about youth behavioral health issues including suicide, drug abuse, depression and anxiety. Its mandate is to promote healthy families by empowering parents to make educated decisions by providing increased understanding about youth behavioral health issues. They do this by organizing and participating in Parent Education and Action for Kids (PEAK) forums, providing online access to a free, confidential questionnaire that generated individualized reports and parent recommendations, and maintaining a comprehensive database of parent help literature and resources.
- Life Development Institute - They have programs for individuals with learning disabilities and related disorders. The purpose of the organization is to provide an environment and program that enables its students to complete requirements leading to graduation from the LDI's high school, college and technical school program linkages, begin careers through employment compatible with capabilities, obtain independent living status, and financial self sufficiency. Their mission is to inspire students to experience success while optimizing their potential, leading to an enhanced quality of life by providing a challenging, supportive learning and living environment.
- American Heart Association - We donated a Dale Chihuly piece of glass to the Arizona Heart Ball for their auction. The dollars raised from the sale of the Chilhuly piece will be designated to a Meritorious Research Grant restricted to research related to depression and stroke. A recently completed epidemiological study ranks depression as one of the leading risk factors of stroke - as great a risk factor as high blood pressure, and even higher risk than cholesterol. Unfortunately, it remains one of the most under diagnosed and under treated signs of stroke despite its prevalence and despite the availability of effective treatments.
British Columbia, Canada
- Royal Jubilee Hospital - We have committed to work with the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia to assist them in creating a new Crisis Response Unit. This facility will provide the most appropriate, timely and dignified care for individuals living with mental illness and psychiatric disorders. It will also include a very comprehensive research department.
