Project: I Define Me

Pooja Mehta is organizing this fundraiser.

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Mental Illnesses affect 1 in 4 Americans. It is a disease category that affects 43 million people in the United States Yet when people speak up about their mental illnesses they so often get reduced to their diagnoses. It is tragic that individual’s personalities, needs, hopes, and dreams get replaced by a diagnosis. When you think of mental illnesses in this way, it’s not surprising that stigma is the most common symptom.

I founded Project: I Define Me in May of 2018 with the hopes of changing that. I wanted to create a platform where people with mental illnesses can introduce themselves as people, with a story that they want to share. Their diagnosis is listed with their statements as just that--a diagnosis. I thought this project would run for the month of May and then fizzle out. It would just be a good way to celebrate mental health month. But the response I received was overwhelming. People love the project, love the stories, and want to contribute to it and watch it grow. Not a day goes by where I don’t have someone reaching out and asking to participate, or telling me how much Project: I Define Me has helped them.

Now our community has grown to 2,500 members, and its time to take Project: I Define Me to the next level. I want to start doing collaborations with organizations and communities to work together and help destigmatize mental illnesses worldwide through personalization. But there are some steps Project: I Define Me needs to take first. .

I need your financial help to:

-register Project: I Define Me as a non-profit
-set up an e-commerce site
-cover start-up costs

Any additional funds will go towards making participation free and forming strategic partnerships with other advocacy organizations. Donations of all sizes are welcome, and with every $10 + donation I will send you this sticker