Hello, District 6250 Rotarians! The new Rotary year is off to a great start. We are already digging in to accomplish our goals charged by RI President Gordon toward prioritizing mental health awareness, learning, and conversations in an effort to improve and care for our district and communities. We’ve put together a mental health task force and have outlined our strategic initiatives for this Rotary year. Members of the task force include DG Michelle McGrath, Teresa Holmes, Liz Evans, and Mary Beth Hensel.
Here’s a taste of what we are working on: Four d
istrict-wide learning opportunities through professional organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) tentatively planned for September, November, January, and March; Resource list for clubs to engage in this space through presentations and/or project work; TriCon 2024 initiative that would include a service project for attendees; Dispatch articles and stories devoted to mental health focusing on educating around language, changing culture, building resilience, addressing trauma—all in an effort to reduce stigma; Recognition of those doing good work in this area.
istrict-wide learning opportunities through professional organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) tentatively planned for September, November, January, and March; Resource list for clubs to engage in this space through presentations and/or project work; TriCon 2024 initiative that would include a service project for attendees; Dispatch articles and stories devoted to mental health focusing on educating around language, changing culture, building resilience, addressing trauma—all in an effort to reduce stigma; Recognition of those doing good work in this area.What’s next? We want to hear from you! A critical component of breaking down walls and shifting a culture is creating trust by inviting sharing, vulnerability, and understanding. Your stories can help. In the coming editions of the Dispatch, we invite District 6250 members to share personal stories of mental health journeys and the learnings that have resulted. The journey could be that of a family member, a friend, a colleague, a loved one, or of self. If it feels right or is important to your story, you can identify yourself. You can submit anonymously if that feels more comfortable. No other individuals in your stories should be identified in any way. Members of the mental health task force will be sharing personal stories in the coming months.
If you have a story you’d like to share, we invite you to submit to DG Michelle McGrath at drmichellemcgrath@gmail.com.