Barbara Walter's Wish
Donation protected
* Do you wish you could help your child manage their anxiety ?
* Is your child depressed?
* Are they addicted to video games and have a lack of motivation.
Help us help your child become happy successful people by donating $25, $50, $100, $200
(We have a full business proposal for those who are interested and donate $500 +)
Please take the time and read below if you want to see your child be the best they can be.
With a donation you will help Christine and Karisa help children and teens to manage their emotions with learned tools and strategies healthy way so they can become happy people.
"I love you all . . . I’m sorry. I love you," was the last text sent by Madison Holleran to her parents before she leapt from the 9th floor railing of a parking garage in downtown Philadelphia.
2Madison was a student -athlete at the University of Pennsylvania who seemed to have it all. Found in the notes folder of her iPhone was a set of checklists of "forced positivity:"
new everything
i can do this
i will do this
you CHOOSE your fate
willing to give it another chance
Despite the work she put in to her mental state, nothing seemed to work for Madison. Her parents reached out to therapists and talked about options for the future. They grasp something was wrong, but failed to understand it's depths. Though, this problem is not that uncommon.
12 people aged 15-24 will commit suicide today – that is one suicide about every two hours. And although there has been an increase in the accessibility of mental health services, there is still a gap in the system.
Many individuals struggle to financially afford consistent help or even help at all. Even with the passing of the Affordable Care Act requiring medical insurers to provide coverage for behavioral and mental healthcare, the cost of treatment often limits access to mental health resources. A lack of financial resources should not prevent parents, friends and individuals from getting the help they need.
With the help of Neuroscientist Dr. Christine Grimaldi, Wish is to bridge the financial gap in the mental health services system by creating a nonprofit organization that will focus on teaching teens and young adults how to use their gifts as tools to create a successful life for themselves, while also making a difference in the lives of others. The nonprofit organization will be named the Gift Room Foundation in honor of Christine's dear friend and mentor, Barbara Walters.
The Gift Room Foundation Story
Barbara served as a mother and mentor to Christine for over 25 years. Christine was originally hired as Barbara's yoga and exercise instructor, but immediately became so much more. Motivated by Barbara's daily teachings, Dr. Christine Grimaldi worked diligently helping people of various walks of life: from celebrities to cancer patients, from CEO's to the homeless, from professional athletes to the impoverished handicapped.
Christine developed the concept of the Gift Room by going through Barbara's gift closet. She discovered that celebrities often receive expensive gifts from friends, family and fans out of respect. She found dresses, purses, watches, and other items that could be sold up to $50,000. She took these findings and said to Barbara, "How about we take these gifts and share them with the world?" And so, the Gift Room Foundation was created. Christine began using the gifts of various celebrities to pay the bills of struggling families with children in the community. Soon, the celebrities began to feel happy and fulfilled knowing that their items were making a difference in the community, and as a neuroscientist, Christine says there is a science behind this feeling.
Christine has researched the link between giving back to the community and these feelings of fulfillment. She found that partaking in purposeful work and giving back to the community creates a feeling of happiness in the brain through the secretion of the hormone, Oxytocin.
The concept of the Gift Room Foundation is to teach teens, children, and young adults how to use their gifts to empower the world and to empower themselves, like Barbara Walter's Gift Room.
The Gift Room Foundation Team & Projects
The Gift Room Foundation will be led by neuroscientist and exercise physiologist, Christine Grimaldi as well as Kundalini & Meditation Yoga expert, Karisa Johnston. The duo holds the perfect combination of skills and qualifications. They both continually work with people of various struggles: from PTSD, anxiety, depression to addiction victims, from athletes with sports anxiety to cancer patients, from those handicapped to those with behavioral issues, and anything in between.
Both Christine and Karisa work tirelessly in the New York Schools system initiating positive change, but it has become increasingly difficult for them to keep up with their work. More and more people are contacting them in need of help, and often times these people cannot afford a stereotypical therapist. Due to the severity of the situation, both Christine and Karisa end up helping their client for free, which has led them to this dream of creating a nonprofit.
They team has filed for a 5013c, but now they just need the funds to make their dream a reality. Their goal is to instill the tools to leading a successful and happy life through purposeful work in children and young adults as early as they can in order to prevent the suicide and depression rate from rising. They have a compiled a list of empowering projects and goals in mind for the Gift Room Foundation nonprofit that will be initiated when their goal is reached.
First, they plan to organize their team and purchase recently finished lodge house outside of the city in Long Island. The house has a finished pool and horse barn that will be used as salt and equine therapy to relax the muscles of the nervous system. Other projects include:
-Dog rescuing and training- rescuing dogs from the community and giving them a home and place as emotional support dogs.
-Organic gardening and sustainable living to boost moral and encourage healthy, lifestyle habits.
- Outdoor activities such as running, sports, and hiking to move muscles and change thoughts.
-Art therapy to channel fears and anxiety into creative art- putting their negative energy out of their head, and instead onto paper.
- Volunteer opportunities at local soup kitchens and the Stony Brook hospital to release the chemical of oxytocin in the brain, increasing happiness.
All the funds will be used to initiate and begin these programs within the Gift Room Foundation.
Barbara Walter's Role
Barbara was the main supporter of Christine's Integrative Therapy Programs at Columbia Hospital for children with cancer for many years. Barbara continually supported Christine, so she could continue doing purposeful work in the community. Christine's rental apartment even got robbed, and Barbara went as far as purchasing a 1 million dollar apartment for Christine. She said, "I am buying you an apartment in a safe place in the city, so we can continue doing great, impactful work together." Barbara always understood the difficulties Christine faced from giving from a glass half empty, and so she continually funded her programs by giving her gifts from various celebrities gifts room. Christine has now sold that apartment to fund her dream of beginning this nonprofit.
Barbara Walters impact in the community continually went unnoticed by the press, and Christine made a promise to Barbara that she will one day make their story known. Today is that day.
Barbara's Wish was to always have Christine's programs fully funded so that the underprivileged and struggling members of the community could be supported and cared for.
By donating to this cause you will be making innovative change in the mental health services system and saving those who are silently struggling.
Barbara was always that person to show compassion for Christine. As Christine used to tell Barbara all the time, "If just one person shows compassion, then just maybe it will cause a chain reaction."
We are seeking compassionate people, generous donors, and potential philanthropist to follow in Barbara's footsteps.
* Is your child depressed?
* Are they addicted to video games and have a lack of motivation.
Help us help your child become happy successful people by donating $25, $50, $100, $200
(We have a full business proposal for those who are interested and donate $500 +)
Please take the time and read below if you want to see your child be the best they can be.
With a donation you will help Christine and Karisa help children and teens to manage their emotions with learned tools and strategies healthy way so they can become happy people.
"I love you all . . . I’m sorry. I love you," was the last text sent by Madison Holleran to her parents before she leapt from the 9th floor railing of a parking garage in downtown Philadelphia.
2Madison was a student -athlete at the University of Pennsylvania who seemed to have it all. Found in the notes folder of her iPhone was a set of checklists of "forced positivity:"
new everything
i can do this
i will do this
you CHOOSE your fate
willing to give it another chance
Despite the work she put in to her mental state, nothing seemed to work for Madison. Her parents reached out to therapists and talked about options for the future. They grasp something was wrong, but failed to understand it's depths. Though, this problem is not that uncommon.
12 people aged 15-24 will commit suicide today – that is one suicide about every two hours. And although there has been an increase in the accessibility of mental health services, there is still a gap in the system.
Many individuals struggle to financially afford consistent help or even help at all. Even with the passing of the Affordable Care Act requiring medical insurers to provide coverage for behavioral and mental healthcare, the cost of treatment often limits access to mental health resources. A lack of financial resources should not prevent parents, friends and individuals from getting the help they need.
With the help of Neuroscientist Dr. Christine Grimaldi, Wish is to bridge the financial gap in the mental health services system by creating a nonprofit organization that will focus on teaching teens and young adults how to use their gifts as tools to create a successful life for themselves, while also making a difference in the lives of others. The nonprofit organization will be named the Gift Room Foundation in honor of Christine's dear friend and mentor, Barbara Walters.
The Gift Room Foundation Story
Barbara served as a mother and mentor to Christine for over 25 years. Christine was originally hired as Barbara's yoga and exercise instructor, but immediately became so much more. Motivated by Barbara's daily teachings, Dr. Christine Grimaldi worked diligently helping people of various walks of life: from celebrities to cancer patients, from CEO's to the homeless, from professional athletes to the impoverished handicapped.
Christine developed the concept of the Gift Room by going through Barbara's gift closet. She discovered that celebrities often receive expensive gifts from friends, family and fans out of respect. She found dresses, purses, watches, and other items that could be sold up to $50,000. She took these findings and said to Barbara, "How about we take these gifts and share them with the world?" And so, the Gift Room Foundation was created. Christine began using the gifts of various celebrities to pay the bills of struggling families with children in the community. Soon, the celebrities began to feel happy and fulfilled knowing that their items were making a difference in the community, and as a neuroscientist, Christine says there is a science behind this feeling.
Christine has researched the link between giving back to the community and these feelings of fulfillment. She found that partaking in purposeful work and giving back to the community creates a feeling of happiness in the brain through the secretion of the hormone, Oxytocin.
The concept of the Gift Room Foundation is to teach teens, children, and young adults how to use their gifts to empower the world and to empower themselves, like Barbara Walter's Gift Room.
The Gift Room Foundation Team & Projects
The Gift Room Foundation will be led by neuroscientist and exercise physiologist, Christine Grimaldi as well as Kundalini & Meditation Yoga expert, Karisa Johnston. The duo holds the perfect combination of skills and qualifications. They both continually work with people of various struggles: from PTSD, anxiety, depression to addiction victims, from athletes with sports anxiety to cancer patients, from those handicapped to those with behavioral issues, and anything in between.
Both Christine and Karisa work tirelessly in the New York Schools system initiating positive change, but it has become increasingly difficult for them to keep up with their work. More and more people are contacting them in need of help, and often times these people cannot afford a stereotypical therapist. Due to the severity of the situation, both Christine and Karisa end up helping their client for free, which has led them to this dream of creating a nonprofit.
They team has filed for a 5013c, but now they just need the funds to make their dream a reality. Their goal is to instill the tools to leading a successful and happy life through purposeful work in children and young adults as early as they can in order to prevent the suicide and depression rate from rising. They have a compiled a list of empowering projects and goals in mind for the Gift Room Foundation nonprofit that will be initiated when their goal is reached.
First, they plan to organize their team and purchase recently finished lodge house outside of the city in Long Island. The house has a finished pool and horse barn that will be used as salt and equine therapy to relax the muscles of the nervous system. Other projects include:
-Dog rescuing and training- rescuing dogs from the community and giving them a home and place as emotional support dogs.
-Organic gardening and sustainable living to boost moral and encourage healthy, lifestyle habits.
- Outdoor activities such as running, sports, and hiking to move muscles and change thoughts.
-Art therapy to channel fears and anxiety into creative art- putting their negative energy out of their head, and instead onto paper.
- Volunteer opportunities at local soup kitchens and the Stony Brook hospital to release the chemical of oxytocin in the brain, increasing happiness.
All the funds will be used to initiate and begin these programs within the Gift Room Foundation.
Barbara Walter's Role
Barbara was the main supporter of Christine's Integrative Therapy Programs at Columbia Hospital for children with cancer for many years. Barbara continually supported Christine, so she could continue doing purposeful work in the community. Christine's rental apartment even got robbed, and Barbara went as far as purchasing a 1 million dollar apartment for Christine. She said, "I am buying you an apartment in a safe place in the city, so we can continue doing great, impactful work together." Barbara always understood the difficulties Christine faced from giving from a glass half empty, and so she continually funded her programs by giving her gifts from various celebrities gifts room. Christine has now sold that apartment to fund her dream of beginning this nonprofit.
Barbara Walters impact in the community continually went unnoticed by the press, and Christine made a promise to Barbara that she will one day make their story known. Today is that day.
Barbara's Wish was to always have Christine's programs fully funded so that the underprivileged and struggling members of the community could be supported and cared for.
By donating to this cause you will be making innovative change in the mental health services system and saving those who are silently struggling.
Barbara was always that person to show compassion for Christine. As Christine used to tell Barbara all the time, "If just one person shows compassion, then just maybe it will cause a chain reaction."
We are seeking compassionate people, generous donors, and potential philanthropist to follow in Barbara's footsteps.
Organizer
Christine Grimaldi
Organizer
Stony Brook, NY
