Community Highlight: Why Mental Health Care Access Is Important
"If you make listening and observation your occupation, you will gain much more than you can by talk." - Robert Baden-Powell
As someone who has always enjoyed literature, a movie or tv show with an intriguing and complex plot, or simply listening to a good friend tell a story, whether it be distressing or comedic, I can attest to these words. Perhaps it's why I've always spent so much time consuming media or wanting to spend time with friends. The things spoken to me by others have changed me, for better or worse, and I can only hope that the things I have said have done the same for others.
In the early days of 2016, I struggled deeply with traumatic memories from my past. I was overwhelmed, a grad student with difficult supervisors and demanding work. I was away from home and no longer surrounded by close friends because I had recently graduated from college. I was no stranger to depression and anxiety, but this time it was worse than before, and I felt like I had lost the will to live. I would wake up feeling intense dread and never wanted to be alone. So much so that it would be difficult to do the work that I needed to do, and I would become even more stressed and anxious because I had procrastinated. This was when I decided it was time to prioritize my mental health. I had been lucky enough to attend a college that provided mental health services (such as counseling) and had spoken with a therapist who helped me deal with several things I had already been struggling with. I had a positive experience, and somehow I knew that finding more help would enable me to work through the mental suffering I was going through at that time. To this day, I remark that it was such a blessing and so beneficial. I know I wouldn't have been able to deal with the various things life had thrown at me—the number one being my mother's passing in 2018 from colon cancer.
My access to mental health care has helped me understand the absolute necessity of having accessible care. Regardless of someone's circumstances, we are all the same. We all need help. And irrespective of how you are struggling - whether in a safe environment or a dire situation, such as the place many people in the communities ICFP works in find themselves in, just the smallest act of care can be a matter of life and death.
No man is an island—we were not born to live alone. Ultimately I have learned that we all struggle with silent battles, and compassion is the only way forward. This is why ensuring everyone has access to life-changing care is so important.
ICFP's work is essential because it helps shape the human person and allows them the life that everyone is entitled to. Additionally, mental health issues can affect every aspect of life. Some people only have the option of prioritizing just staying alive rather than seeking medical and professional help them escape their reality.
Having access to mental health care has changed my life. Perhaps that's redundant to say as if it wasn't already made clear. But I can't emphasize it enough. This is why I believe every person, no matter where or why deserves to have the same opportunity.
-Olivia Leno, Community Highlight
Why should we participate in end-of-year giving?
Well, to start, for tax purposes :D
But why else? When we give, we should give with some heart. With some passion for whatever it is we have chosen to support.
We talk a lot around here about humanity and the idea that we all need to help each other. This idea can be found everywhere and throughout history - in different religions, cultures, and philosophies. So there must be something to it.
We here at ICFP think it's pretty simple to explain - when we help someone, we reap benefits. Sure, positive emotions come from knowing you've done something to make someone happy, but there's a lot more. When we give, we create a habit. Once we realize the impact we can make, and the importance of just one act and one person can make, we get inspired. And then we do it again. And again. Until it's a habit.
And then what happens next is limitless. We inspire others. We change lives. We impact our present and future.
The end of the year is, more often than not, a very stressful time for nonprofit organizations. We're scrambling to make ends meet and want to ensure every project and every beneficiary is taken care of. By supporting ICFP, you're helping us to fill a funding gap that will make a huge difference. Even $5 can provide food for a family for a week, keep the lights on in a classroom, and keep someone off the street.
Will you join us? We'd love to chat with you, so please do not hesitate to contact us to learn more about giving an end-of-year gift.
Let's make a difference TOGETHER!
Meet our Team: ELISE
Get to know our team! The people behind the scenes are the ones who make the wheels turn for the entire operation, and we couldn't do anything without every single person involved. First up is our incredible intern, Elise.
Hello, my name is Elise, and I am one of the interns for ICFP! I am from St. Charles, Illinois, and I am currently a junior at Benedictine College, where I am studying Journalism and Mass Communications with a minor in Theology.
I joined the ICFP team in early October, working with the marketing department to deepen my skills in branding, organization, and design work.
My favorite project that ICFP is currently working on is flood relief in India. With an estimated 6 million people affected, ICFP is aimed to provide water, food, aid, and general care for those affected by the disaster.
As an intern, I want to make impactful marks on the world through ICFP and learn how to give my time and skills for the greater good. ICFP's work is crucial as it continually creates a place that nurtures hospitality and humanitarian ideals that reflect their work.
Stories make a difference
ICFP is fundraising this month for flood relief. Please consider visiting our flood relief project page under "Our Projects" to learn more and donate.
Our ICFP teams are no strangers to flood relief work. Flooding is the most common and devastating of natural disasters, affecting South Asia the most out of any region in the world.
In the ICFP community, we ask ourselves and each other, how do we help people care? And then taking it one step further, how do we help people around the world take action to demonstrate their concern for people affected by things like natural disasters and poverty?
Here, we believe the first step is sharing. Sharing stories, images, experiences with our friends around the world. We experience each other best in these ways.
We have been sharing stories through our social media platforms and project page. We hope these stories from real people affected by flooding in South Asia touch you. And even more, that you decide to take action and support our incredible indigenous teams on the ground now, working day and night to ensure safety and restoration for everyone in their communities.
We also want to share updates on specifically what we are doing. We have been able to support over 100 families so far with ration packs, redevelopment (learn more about this from our PDF found on our project page). Below are images from our distribution programs in the remote communities we work in.
