Hello,

We are the Mental Health Eagles: a group of students with the University of North Texas, working together to practice civic engagement within our communities. For our final project, we are promoting our fundraiser for a non-profit organization which addresses an all-to-common social issue plaguing our community: mental illness and mental health support. That is why we are partnering with Mental Health America to raise funds for the work their organization does.

As college students, we are all too familiar with the effects of poor mental health and mental illness can have on the success, lives, and wellbeing of ourselves and our colleagues. Below, we’ve included a few of the concerning yet important data we found during our research.

• In 2021, over 60% of college students screened across 723 campuses met the criteria for at least one mental health condition (Lipson, S. K., et al., Journal of Affective Disorders, Vol. 306, 2022)

• Students seeking help at campus counseling centers increased almost 40% between 2009 and 2015, and trends continue to rise (CCMH Annual Report, 2015)

• The University of North Texas supports more than 3,000 veterans in their student body.

o Veterans on campus are 1.7 to 2.4 times more likely to screen positive for mental health concerns than their colleagues, yet only 41.5% receive treatment (J Am Coll Health, 2022)

• 45.5% of First-Generation students with depression, anxiety and/or suicidal ideation received any mental health treatment in the past year, relative to 55.1% of Continuing Generation students (Cogent Ment Health, Healthy Minds Study, 2023)

In our fundraising for Mental Health America, we want to highlight different programs of MHA’s that address these concerns and more. From the ‘Clifford Beers Society’ that connects leaders and advocates of mental health that collectively work to support those affected by mental health, to councils that work to change public policy at the state and federal levels, to research and screening projects that keep MHA informed and up-to-date on the current state of America’s mental health crisis.

According to Mental Health America’s website (https://mhanational.org/),

“$50 connects 40 people to our free online mental health screening tools.

$100 helps us reach 2,000 people with essential public education tools and resources.

$500 supports the professional growth of a nationally recognized youth mental health leader for six months, empowering them to advocate for change and provide vital support to their peers.”

While ‘1 in 5 people struggle with mental health, 5 in 5 people have mental health’ (Mental Health America, 2025). Our team motto is “Soaring to new heights”, so we are constantly seeking ways to go above and beyond to work with MHA and improve our community. How ever you can support us‒whether its donating to our fundraiser, sharing our link, or taking the time to visit Mental Health America’s website‒you are flying with us on our journey for a better tomorrow.

With Great Appreciation,

The Mental Health Eagles