Showing posts with label awareness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awareness. Show all posts

Monday, March 9, 2020

On March 25, Goodwill Central Coast will team up with The ALS Association Golden West Chapter to raise Money, Awareness

On Wednesday, March 25, every Goodwill Central Coast store location will donate and match (up to $1,000 total) all round-up dollar proceeds.

Agoura Hills, CA, March 10, 2020 - Although the past few years have seen exciting research advancements, there is still no cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gerhig’s Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative illness that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

To help further this important cause, Goodwill Central Coast will team up with The ALS Association Golden West Chapter to raise both funds and awareness.

On Wednesday, March 25, every Goodwill Central Coast store location will donate and match (up to $1,000 total) all round-up dollar proceeds. Money raised will benefit the Golden West Chapter's Walk to Defeat ALS, with upcoming local events on Saturday, April 4 in San Luis Obispo and Saturday, October 3 in Monterey. These annual community outreach events are critical awareness and fundraising components that fuel the Chapter’s efforts in research, care services, and public policy initiatives to benefit the ALS community of the Central Coast.

On Wednesday, March 25, The ALS Association Golden West Chapter will have representatives at the Capitola, Salinas and San Luis Obispo Higuera locations from 5-7 p.m. For more information about ALS or how you can get involved, visit www.alsagoldenwest.org, or email info@alsagoldenwest.org. You can also sign up or donate to the Walk to Defeat ALS at walks.alsagoldenwest.org.

About Goodwill Central Coast
Goodwill Central Coast, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, began in 1928 in the city of Santa Cruz and today has expanded into three counties: Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo. Goodwill Central Coast now employs more than 600 people, including employment training professionals, sales personnel, donation center attendants, warehouse and distribution workers, and administrators. Its programs strengthen communities by improving job growth, the lives of individuals and families, and the health of our environment. Each year Goodwill assists more than 9,000 job seekers get back to work and reclaim financial and personal independence. Goodwill provides a positive learning environment that creates brighter futures through connecting people to meaningful work.

About The ALS Association Golden West Chapter
The mission of The ALS Association is to discover treatments and cures for ALS, and to serve, advocate for, and empower people affected by ALS to live their lives to the fullest. Our vision is to create a world without ALS. The Golden West Chapter serves people with ALS and their families in 31 counties throughout California and in the state of Hawaii. Everything we do advances the search for effective treatments and cures for ALS. For more information about ALS and The ALS Association Golden West Chapter, please visit our website at www.alsagoldenwest.org or email us at info@alsagoldenwest.org. You can also find us across social media channels at @alsagoldenwest.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.alsagoldenwest.org

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Interim Inc. Hopes to Spur Change, Raise Awareness During Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in July

Every year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition.

Monterey, CA, July 04, 2018 — Every year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition. But background and identity can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult because mental health doesn’t discriminate based on race, color, gender or identity.

With that in mind Monterey private nonprofit organization Interim Inc. is encouraging improvements in the country’s mental health system, especially when it comes to marginalized communities, and raising awareness of the issue by supporting July as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, which was established in 2008 to start changing this.

Interim is the only agency in Monterey County dedicated to supporting adults with mental illness by providing affordable housing, residential treatment, social rehabilitation services, homeless outreach and support, family outreach, and supported education and employment services.

In May of 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives announced July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Albert Wynn (D-Maryland) and cosponsored by a large bipartisan group to achieve two goals:

>Improve access to mental health treatment and services and

>Promote public awareness of mental illness

When trying to access treatment, marginalized communities have to contend with such issues as:

>Barriers to access to treatment

Language barriers

>Lack of cultural competence

>Racism, bias and discrimination in treatment settings

>Lower-quality care

>Lower likelihood of health insurance or adequate coverage

> The high level of mental health stigma in minority populations

> Belief that treatment will not help

These are all in addition to the usual roadblocks.

“Many cultures also view mental health treatment as a luxury, considering symptoms a ‘phase’ that will eventually pass,” writes Laura Greenstein, communications coordinator at National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “These harmful perceptions of mental illness can further isolate individuals who desperately need help.

“We can all help ignite change against these disparities and fight stigma this Minority Mental Health Awareness Month,” she adds. “It simply starts with learning more about mental health and informing your community.”

Some of the ways an individual can get involved and help change the system according to Greenstein include:

>Consider Giving A Presentation

The more we talk about mental illness, the more normalized it will become.

>Emphasize Treatment

Make sure to stress the importance of a culturally competent provider. These mental health professionals, such as the services offered by Interim, integrate your beliefs and values into treatment.

>Share Your Story

When a person experiences symptoms of mental illness, one of the most helpful and comforting feelings is knowing that they’re not alone. It can be incredibly reassuring to know in this moment right now, someone else is going through similar struggles as you are—regardless of where they are, who they are, or how they identify.

Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is an opportunity to raise awareness and stop stigma in diverse communities. It’s time to improve the harsh realities minority communities face when it comes to mental illness treatment. In fact, it’s long overdue.

About Bebe Moore Campbell
Campbell was an author, advocate, co-founder of NAMI Urban Los Angeles and national spokesperson, who passed away in November 2006.

She received NAMI's 2003 Outstanding Media Award for Literature. Campbell advocated for mental health education and support among individuals of diverse communities.

In 2005, inspired by Campbell’s charge to end stigma and provide mental health information, longtime friend Linda Wharton-Boyd suggested dedicating a month to the effort.

The duo got to work, outlining the concept of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and what it would entail. With the support of the D.C. Department of Mental Health and then-mayor Anthony Williams, they held a news conference in Southeast D.C., where they encouraged residents to get mental health checkups.

Support continued to build as Campbell and Wharton-Boyd held book signings, spoke in churches and created a National Minority Mental Health Taskforce of friends and allies. However, the effort came to a halt when Campbell became too ill to continue.

When Campbell lost her battle to cancer, Wharton-Boyd, friends, family and allied advocates reignited their cause, inspired by the passion of the life of an extraordinary woman.

The group researched and obtained the support of Representatives Albert Wynn (D-Maryland) and Diane Watson (D-California), who co-signed legislation to create an official minority mental health awareness month.

About Interim Inc.
Interim, Inc. is a private nonprofit organization that provides a unique combination of support services, housing and social rehabilitation treatment for adults with mental illness in Monterey County. Services provided include affordable supportive housing, residential treatment, mental health and dual-recovery services, case coordination, therapeutic services, outreach and intensive support for homeless adults, supported education and employment, day treatment and peer support.

Interim Inc.
P.O. Box 3222
Monterey, CA 93942
(831) 649-4522
www.interiminc.org

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.interiminc.org

Friday, December 12, 2014

Step into Nature: Nurturing Imagination & Spirit in Everyday Life

The New Book Published by Beyond Words/Simon & Schuster by Monterey County Author Patrice Vecchione Will Launch March 2015 Vecchione’s Book Tour for 2015 Announced

Carmel, CA, December 12, 2014 - Step Into Nature is a guide to make nature personal again, to stimulate awareness and increase our understanding of the environment while inspiring readers to develop and strengthen their imaginations. Being in nature doesn’t mean flying off to remote, faraway places. Nature is as close as opening your front door—the sky above, the miniature gardens that insist their way up between the sidewalk cracks, the river just down the road.

Patrice Vecchione shows readers how nature can support and enhance their own creative output, invigorate their curiosity, and restore their sense of connection to the earth. Plus, throughout the text Vecchione includes “Cabinets of Curiosities,” exercises and suggestions for practical and unexpected ways that readers can stimulate their imaginations, deepen their relationships with nature, and experience the harmony between creativity, spirit, and the natural world.

BOOK TOUR 2015
Tuesday, April 7, Santa Cruz Book Launch: Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA, 831-423-0900. 7:30pm

Thursday, April 9, Monterey Book Launch: Carmel Art Association, Dolores, between 5th & 6th in Carmel by the Sea, CA, sponsored by Pilgrim’s Way Books, 831-624-4955, 6:00pm

Saturday, April 11, Poetry Workshop: Tor House, Carmel, CA, Patrice@patricevecchione.com or elliotrr3@redshift.com. 10:00 – 4:00pm

Tuesday, April 14, Book signing/talk: Elliott Bay Books, 1521 10th Ave, Seattle, WA, 206-624-6600. 7:00pm

Thursday, April 16, Talk/book signing: Annie Bloom Books, 7834 Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR, 7:00pm

Thursday, April 23, Talk/book signing: Bookworks, 4022 Rancho Grande Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM. 505-344-8139. 7:00pm

Friday, April 24 – Tuesday, April 28, Imagination & Inspiration in the South West: Writing Retreat at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, NM and a visit to Georgia O’Keeffe’s home in Abiquiu. Patrice@patricevecchione.com.

Tuesday, April 28, Talk/book signing: The Ark Bookstore, 133 Romero St, Santa Fe, NM, 505-988-3709. 4:30 – 6:00pm

Thursday, May 7, Workshop/book signing/reception: OLLI@CSUMB, 100 Campus Center, CSUMB, Seaside, CA. 831-582-5500. mcrompton@csumb.edu. 4:00 – 6:00pm

Friday, May 8: All Roads Lead to the Mother: Art Reception & Book Signing. Patrice will exhibit her collage and sign copies of her book.

Studio One in Big Sur. (Located above Local Color at the Village Shops in Big Sur, 35 minute drive south of Carmel.) Reception and book signing. 831-206-2475. 6:00pm

Saturday, May 9: Step into Nature: Making Art with Erin Gafill. Collage, painting and writing workshop with Erin and Patrice.10:00 - 4:00. Workshop includes lunch, $125. Studio One in Big Sur. 831-206-2475. 10:00 – 4:00pm.

Tuesday, May 19, Talk/book signing: Barnes & Noble, 894 Marsh St, San Luis Obispo, CA, 805-781-8334, 2:00pm

Tuesday, May 19: Talk/book signing: Chaucer’s Books, 3221 State St, 805-682-6787Santa Barbara, CA, 7:00pm

Friday, May 15: Talk/book signing: East West Bookshop, 324 Castro St, Mountain View, CA, 650-988-9800, 7:30 – 9:00pm

Saturday, May 16: May Step into Nature: Writing & Imagination Workshop, East West Bookshop, 324 Castro St, Mountain View, CA, 650-988-9800, 11:30 – 3:30.

Advance Praise for Step Into Nature
"If you take Patrice hand she will take you on a walk…Then she'll deposit you back in your comfortable chair with a kiss on your head. And only later will you find that your pockets are quite full of turquoise and in your hair, feathers." – Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D. author of Blue Mind

"Patrice Vecchione has given us a true workbook for the senses, full of beautiful methods and exercises for getting ever-closer to our surrounding world. Read it and your travels into nature will be enhanced and changed. I shall never head for the woods without a ladder and a hammock again." – David Rothenberg, author of Bug Music and Why Birds Sing

“In words carried as lightly in hand as a new-found robin’s egg, Patrice Vecchione invites readers into a warm and ranging conversation… Step Into Nature illumines the intimate connection between inner and outer, contemplative and wild, and shows the reasons these connections matter.” – Jane Hirshfield, author of The Beauty (poems) and Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World

About the Author:
Patrice Vecchione, is the author of Writing and the Spiritual Life, about which The Writer magazine said, “Trust the voice of Patrice Vecchione.” She is the author of two books of poetry and the editor of many highly acclaimed anthologies. Vecchione offers creative writing and collage workshops—inside and out—at universities, libraries, parks, and community and spiritual centers, including the Esalen Institute. She lives in Monterey, California with her best beloveds—her husband, two cats, and a garden often in bloom. patricevecchione.com.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Carmel, CA 93923
831-747-7455
http://patricevecchione.com