BOCA RATON’S PROMISE AND BROKEN SOUND CLUB TEAM UP TO DRIVE MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID “CALL-TO-ACTION” IN BOCA RATON
Collaboration Urges Boca Raton Federation of Homeowners Associations, Condo Association Members, Private Club Communities, Neighborhoods, Schools, Businesses, Elected Officials, and City Agencies to Designate Reps for MHFA Training
Knowing that one in four residents in greater Boca Raton — approximately 20,000 — will be impacted by mental illness during their lifetime, Broken Sound Club (BSC) and Boca Raton’s Promise (BRP) have teamed up to siren a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) “call-to-action” in Boca Raton. Expanding the community impact of the Boca Raton March For Our Lives that drew 5,000 supporters, the collaborative promise will drive Federation of Boca Raton Homeowner Associations members, condo associations, private club communities, schools, summer camps, businesses and city agencies to identify and designate representatives to become MHFA-trained by nationally certified trainers secured by Boca Raton’s Promise.
John Crean, Anna Crean, Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie, Rita Thrasher
“As in Parkland, each one of us may find ourselves in an unexpected role of ‘mental health first aider’ as a friend, colleague or family member with lives at risk and this training will prepare us,” said Rita Thrasher, co-founder and executive director of BRP, a relentless nonprofit trailblazer in raising awareness, increasing education, changing perceptions and starting critical conversations on mental health. “Just as we globally value and promote the need for CPR training, our community must become as passionate about Mental Health First Aid training. We thank Broken Sound Club for partnering with us and opening its doors to expand this opportunity that is critical to the health, welfare and safety of our community.”
Through the generosity of donor underwriting and “fan and fun” raising events, BRP’s MHFA trainings are free and open to all segments of the community, including teachers, principals and guidance counselors; summer camp leadership and staff; police officers and fire/rescue teams; government agencies; parents; grandparents; athletic coaches; clergy; HR professionals; homeowner associations; condo associations; property management firms; employers and co-workers, etc. BRP also provides action-provoking outreach for youth and adults, facilitates thought leader conversations and collaborations, presents public speaker tours and community conversations and creates videos.
We Owe It to Those Lost and Their Families to Do Our Very Best to be Better … to be Ready!
“In the aftermath of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, it is now critical to be BOCA BRAVE and BOLD,” said John Crean, CCE, the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Broken Sound Club whose 14-year-old daughter Anna survived the MSD mass shooting and whose Tweets went so viral (via NBC National News and other sources) that Anna was selected to be part of the Parkland student delegation hosted by the Giffords Foundation for the March for Our Lives (#MarchForOurLives, #NeverAgain, #MSDStrong) in Washington, D.C.
“There is no one single way to help prevent such a tragedy from happening again, but it does ‘take a village’ working together to affect meaningful, transformational change,” added Crean. “As a father of a daughter who lived through this ‘up-close-and-personal’ nightmare, I along with everyone else owe it to those lost and their loved ones that we all do our very best to give rise to a tidal wave of improvement.”
Crean said he first learned of BRP’s mission and the power of its grassroots initiatives and outreach achievements when the organization chose to hold two annual Palm Beach County Action Alliance for Mental Health “Voice Awards” luncheons in BSC’s main clubhouse, most recently this January.
Crean will drive the message of MHFA training via letters to and speaking with his colleagues in the Club Managers Association of America throughout Palm Beach County, presenting at the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowner Associations meeting on April 3 and in teamwork with Boca Raton’s mayor and city council members, county commissioners and business leaders in Boca Raton. BSC will also accommodate the increased capacity for multiple MHFA trainings by providing meeting rooms and refreshments and underwrite registrations for 17 trainees in “memory and honor” of each life lost at MSD.
“We so appreciate when two leading community-driven forces such as Broken Sound Club and Boca Raton’s Promise collaborate to make an impactful difference for all those who live, work, learn and play in our city,” shared City of Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie. “It is time we all make Mental Health First Aid training a priority at home; in neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, community organizations, athletics and beyond.”
BRP Seeks Funding by Companies, Foundations to Underwrite Training and Curriculum Materials
To raise funds to underwrite five sessions for a total of 150 trainees (at $65 each) and other community outreach, BRP is presenting a “fun, fan, fund” raising Artist-in-Residence Weekend, April 27-29 featuring nationally recognized vocalist, songwriter, playwright, performer, author and cantor Patti Linsky. Using the love of live music and laughter to unite, inspire and rally “community-for-community”, the line-up includes “You’ve Got a Friend” Coffee House and Altar EGO, an original one-woman musical. Weekend opener is a “Sermon in Song: The Spirituality of Recovery”.
To learn more about Boca Raton’s Promise and its Mental Health First Aid trainings, visit www.bocaratonspromise.org, email info@bocaratonspromise.org or call (561) 866-1850. For more information on the BRP Artist-in-Residence Weekend and related sponsorships, contact Kaye Communications, Inc. at 561-392-5166 or email Jon Kaye at jkaye@kcompr.com. To purchase tickets to BRP’s Artist-in-Residence weekend “fan and fund” raising events, visit https://www.bocaratonspromise.org/artist-in-residence.
About Mental Health First Aid
MHFA is a groundbreaking national public education program that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Mental Health First Aid is offered in the form of an interactive 8-hour course that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use disorders in the U.S. and introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews common treatments. Those who take the 8-hour course to certify as Mental Health First Aiders learn a 5-step action plan encompassing the skills, resources and knowledge to help an individual in crisis connect with appropriate professional, peer, social and self-help care. There are two MHFA curriculum tracks: The Adult course is for adults focused on adult mental health needs and the Youth course is for adults focused on youth mental health needs.
