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October 2006
Welcome to the first issue of CONNECTIONS. The purpose of this newsletter is to connect the many
people who work on the various projects of KSF, participate in our support groups, serve on our
Advisory Council and Committees, contribute financially, and encourage us to continue to
implement the KSF mission. We feel that this periodic up-date will inform and unite these
multiple groups and individuals. If you want to add some more names to this e-mail list, send us
the addresses.
The mission of KSF is to “provide hope for a balanced life to family and friends of anyone
with a mental illness or who lost a loved one to suicide.” As far as we know, we are the only
local or national foundation, alliance, or agency with an exclusive focus on the family and
friends of a mentally ill loved one. Other organizations include some services to family and
friends, but not exclusively, and, in fact, most of them have a primary focus on other aspects of
mental health care. While nationally there are other agencies that sponsor support groups for
people who lost a loved one to suicide, there were none of these groups functioning in the Illinois
Metro East area. There is an obvious need for the KSF mission
In our first year as a public foundation, KSF:
- Became a legal, non-profit (501c3) foundation capable of receiving tax-deductible
donations.
- Established two, on-going support groups. The group for the family and friends of a
mentally ill loved one averages 15 participants, and the group for people who lost a loved
one to suicide (suicide survivors) averages 10 participants. While not every participant
attends each session, new members join each group regularly.
- Created our identify items – logo, mission statement, brochure, stationery, signage, and a
website at www.KarlaSmithFoundation.org.
- Formed a remarkable Advisory Council and four hard-working Committees:
Communications, Fund-Raising, Resources, and Financial Aid.
- Identified nine strategies to help family and friends cope with the mental illness of a
loved one, and wrote a book called “A Balanced Life” which describes these nine
strategies and includes discussion questions for personal or group use.
- Launched a year long campaign to “Erase the Stigma” of mental illness and suicide.
The campaign includes:
- An Ecumenical Prayer Service at St. Nicholas parish, 625 St. Nicholas Drive,
O’Fallon, IL on Sunday October 15 at 7:00pm.
- A two day mental illness and suicide prevention conference on June 2-3, 2007,
co-sponsored by the Karla Smith Foundation, the National Shrine of Our Lady of
the Snows, and the Family Life Office of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
- The first annual Karla Smith Foundation Dinner/Auction on June 30, 2007 at the
Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, IL.
- An “ERace the Stigma” run/walk in the fall of 2007, with date and place still to
be determined.
- Periodic “Erase the Stigma” media messages throughout the year.
- Made initial contacts to establish KSF support groups in Lafayette, IN and Quincy, IL
with similar plans to visit Mt. Vernon and Carbondale, IL for possible creation of support
groups in those areas as well.
- Networked with many local mental health agencies and services.
- Conducted multiple workshops on mental illness and suicide.
Tom and Fran Smith are participating in the 12 week Family to Family, education course sponsored by the National Alliance of Mental Illness in order to deepen their knowledge of
mental illness and ways to cope with a mentally ill loved one.
With the advice of the KSF Advisory Council, we have developed short term, intermediate,
and long term goals. One long term goal is to establish a comprehensive, integrated, one-stop
Karla Smith Foundation Clinic that will provide all the mental health services needed for the
family and friends of a mentally ill loved one and for suicide survivors.
Tom and Kevin Smith recently attended a National Anti-Stigma Campaign meeting in
Chicago. The federal government has teamed with the AD Council and will begin a national,
three year campaign focusing on the stigma of mental illness. The first year will target 18-24
year olds who are friends of someone with a mental illness with the tag line: “Mental Illness:
what a difference a friend makes.” Look for these TV, radio, and print ads beginning nationally
in November. KSF, with our emphasis on family and friends and our own “Erase the Stigma”
program, will coordinate with the national effort as much as possible.
Thanks to all of you for your continuing support of KSF in so many helpful ways. The needs
are great, and the individual stories of the family and friends of a mentally ill loved one and
suicide survivors are heart-wrenching and challenging. Together we can respond
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