Hello community, we are kindly requesting help to launch what we're hoping will one day become a national project. Starting here in sunny Mackay, QLD, we want to bring our vision of The Held Project to life.

The Held Project was a concept created by the founder/director Amanda, from her lived experience with perinatal mental health issues including depression, anxiety and psychosis whilst pregnant and postpartum. Joining her are Courtney (founder, director) and Maria and Alison who are equally as involved in the project and have so much love to give. Amanda and Courtney already have a well-known presence in the Mackay community from other maternal mental health charitable endeavours with which we have had great success, so the money will truly be an investment into a much needed project and not a dead end.

Our goal is to be on call for the local maternity wards in Mackay, to be available to come in to meet mothers in need of mental health support whilst pregnant or postpartum and bring a coffee and a nappy bag filled with essentials, self care, information on how to get help, and a whole lotta love. In the future, we have plans to expand this project into prolonged connection through the fourth trimester, and to hopefully see this become a movement around Australia.

We want to be the "supportive friend" to these mothers that offers peer support from lived experience, but also a hand to guide and encourage them to get sustainable, long term help.

To become a registered not-for-profit to receive financial donations in order to fund insurances and keep the project running, we need to raise start up funds for incorporation fees and public liability of around $1000. We are hoping our heart for women suffering from perinatal mental health conditions can be seen by Mackay and further out nationwide so that we can get this project off the ground. Any help whatsoever will be greatly appreciated! If we exceed our goal, we will use the money to purchase nappy bags and things to go inside.

We hope you see our heart and will please support us! Thank you for reading.

Love,

Amanda, Courtney, Maria and Alison