Mental Health Awareness

Hi everyone!
My name is Dianna Castellanos. I have put together this GoFundMe in hopes of starting our organization where we will aim to bring awareness to mental health and together, fight the stigma against mental illness. My brother, Ulysses Castellanos, committed suicide four years ago on May 20, 2014. Although it has been hard to cope with, I finally have the strength to turn my pain and suffering into something that will hopefully help others with similar mindsets as my brother. The unfortunate stigma against mental illness can make individuals feel ashamed for something they cannot control and most importantly, prevent them from seeking the help that is necessary. Most people who battle mental illness have, at some point, been blamed for their condition or are ridiculed for it. It is easy to view their symptoms as “a phase” or “something they can control if only they tried”, especially with adolescent age groups. I made this mistake with my brother and I will never make it again. Our goal with this GoFundMe is to start a non-profit program at our local high school where students in our community can come in in times of need and be assured they are not alone. We hope to raise enough money to gain momentum for this program and begin promoting it on campus so that individuals are aware as to what resources are available to them. We also have efforts to begin a scholarship fund that will be given at the end of the school year. We would like this to be more than a suicide hotline. We hope to give them the reassurance that what they feel is normal. Although stigma is such a powerful phenomenon that can never be ended entirely, together we can fight it by bringing awareness to mental illness through empathy, compassion, and understanding. All donations will be used to begin our program, whether it is to supply snacks for the students, create positive posters, legal expenses, or so on. We thank you for your time and any donations are greatly appreciated. Help us, help others!