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Mental Health America Aiken County

Making a Difference...Here and Now 



September Newsletter

PROMOTING POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH

September 2012

In This Issue
Hope Defined
National Depression Screening Day
Letters to Santa
Shopping for Nurture Home

 

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Liz Neal
Robert Schwartz
Traci Carrier
Paula Turner
Sandra Baxter
Richard Garcia
John Heffley
 Linda Hook
 Terry Kneece
Chrissa Matthews
Denny Michaelis
Shelia Taylor
 
 
 


  
 

AC Cef Apron
 Aiken's Cookin' 2012 News & Photo Album

Defining Hope

 

  Don't Duck- I. C. Hope

  

          Meet I.C. Hope. This happy little character is the mascot of our newest program, Don't Duck Mental Health.The band-aid on his forehead means "mental illness is real and it is treatable". The life preserver around his neck is used to convey the important truth that every life is worth saving. I.C. Hope made his debut appearance at The Brothers and Sisters Club of Aiken last week and will be going back every week for five weeks to talk to a group of children there. Last week we read a story called "When Dinosaurs Die" and had an interactive talk with the children about the feelings that we have when someone dies. We talked about what we can do to take care of ourselves and get through these times. The children compared stories and gave each other ideas of things they could do to feel better. We were prepared to explain to them what "hope" means and were amazed when they told us! Their definitions of hope, such as "wishing for something" or "knowing everything will be alright" led to an exchange of positive ideas and feelings of hope. We visit again this Wednesday to talk about bullying and how it feels to be bullied. We'll also talk about why someone might choose to be a bully. We are so excited about I.C. Hope and the hope we're giving these students through his message. At the end of five weeks, we are confident we will have built a strong connection to the children at Brothers and Sisters and we will all have even more reasons to hope

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National Depression Screening Day: College Response
  
We are partnering with USCA Counseling Center again this year to participate in National Depression Screening Day on October 11, 2012. Students will benefit from resources to help them recognize symptoms of anxiety and depression. The USCA Counseling Center provides this valuable service each year for students who may be experiencing difficulties as they transition into the demands of college life. As a result of this service,many students establish a counseling contact to support and give them hope.    
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Letters to Santa
Santa Len  

 

 Do you remember writing a letter to Santa and how much you wanted exactly what you listed in the letter? When asked to describe Operation Santa, I always talk about the "wish lists" we receive and how much they remind me of a Letter to Santa. Do you remember the hope you felt in anticipation of opening those gifts? This is exactly why we are so grateful to our sponsors. Every sponsor searches for just the thing their Operation Santa participant has asked for. If you've shopped for Operation Santa, you know what I'm describing. You also know the joy of granting that wish. You know the joy of giving exactly what they are hoping to receive. Operation Santa is December 12th and there are plenty of names in need of sponsors. Please call if you'd like to share in this one of kind Christmas Party of Hope!   
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Shopping for Nurture Home 

Nurture Home is participating  
BElk Charity Event April 16, 6-10am again in the Belk Charity Day Event on November 4th. We have coupons for $5 off your purchase on this day of savings. Purchasing a coupon supports Nurture Home because we get to keep all proceeds from coupon sales!  It's a simple way to give, plus you get $5 off your purchase. Why not get some of your Christmas shopping done early and help us as we continue to give hope to homeless families?   

Gratefully,

Lisa Tindal
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