#RememberingRachelYouens
Donation protected
Book Donations promoting a respectful understanding of mental health /illness
Robin Williams, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain...Rachel “Calico” Youens.
In the early morning hours of July 17, 2019, years of brilliant creativiy came to an abrupt end with the death by suicide of Rachel Youens. Amidst the successful genius of her immersion experience business, FOMO Factory, the disease of depression that kept itself under the surface broke through. Her father shared this telling statement “If she could, she would tell you her death was a result of progressive depressive disease that was resistant to treatment and finally killed her.”
Rachel was beautiful, colorful, intelligent, creative, strong, independent. Fierce in her passions, loving animals, and loving to inspire others. She championed women's rights, embraced adventure, and collected mermaids.
Rachel’s parents have long promoted the need for our society to remove the stigma of mental illness that hinders those struggling with the disease from finding and maintaining treatment. Her father shared the reality of the disease that took over his only child: “Rachel’s life was complicated by the disease that killed her. On good days she could do simple acts like showering and brushing her teeth. On those days she could inspire and change the world. On bad days, doubt, and despair overwhelmed her... It was hard for her to get out of bed. She could be hurtful to even her closest loved ones on a bad day, on the worst days it was awful and she could be hurtful beyond imagination.”
The struggle to live with a mental illness, is made more difficult due to the lack of current resources available. With knowledge comes understanding and compassion. Rachel’s parents support the need for our society to learn more and keep up to date on this disease.
We are friends of Rachel’s mom, all librarians. We want to honor the life of her daughter with the best things we know: books. We would like to purchase grade level appropriate books promoting a respectful understanding of mental illness, for each of the schools in the school district Rachel attended, where her mother was employed as a teacher, and then as a librarian. (62 books, at 20.00 each= $1240.00)
We will design and print bookplates to be added to the inside cover of the books to be donated. (62 bookplates, $5 each= $310.00)
Any funds collected beyond the initial goal will be applied towards the development of a fund to provide annual donations of books on current mental health/illness topics.
Total fundraising goal:$1550.00
Rachel's library book may have burned (from The Library Book, by Susan Orlean), but with your donation to provide library books about this disease, we can help others gain an understanding of mental illness and open dialogue while we wait for cures.
Robin Williams, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain...Rachel “Calico” Youens.
In the early morning hours of July 17, 2019, years of brilliant creativiy came to an abrupt end with the death by suicide of Rachel Youens. Amidst the successful genius of her immersion experience business, FOMO Factory, the disease of depression that kept itself under the surface broke through. Her father shared this telling statement “If she could, she would tell you her death was a result of progressive depressive disease that was resistant to treatment and finally killed her.”
Rachel was beautiful, colorful, intelligent, creative, strong, independent. Fierce in her passions, loving animals, and loving to inspire others. She championed women's rights, embraced adventure, and collected mermaids.
Rachel’s parents have long promoted the need for our society to remove the stigma of mental illness that hinders those struggling with the disease from finding and maintaining treatment. Her father shared the reality of the disease that took over his only child: “Rachel’s life was complicated by the disease that killed her. On good days she could do simple acts like showering and brushing her teeth. On those days she could inspire and change the world. On bad days, doubt, and despair overwhelmed her... It was hard for her to get out of bed. She could be hurtful to even her closest loved ones on a bad day, on the worst days it was awful and she could be hurtful beyond imagination.”
The struggle to live with a mental illness, is made more difficult due to the lack of current resources available. With knowledge comes understanding and compassion. Rachel’s parents support the need for our society to learn more and keep up to date on this disease.
We are friends of Rachel’s mom, all librarians. We want to honor the life of her daughter with the best things we know: books. We would like to purchase grade level appropriate books promoting a respectful understanding of mental illness, for each of the schools in the school district Rachel attended, where her mother was employed as a teacher, and then as a librarian. (62 books, at 20.00 each= $1240.00)
We will design and print bookplates to be added to the inside cover of the books to be donated. (62 bookplates, $5 each= $310.00)
Any funds collected beyond the initial goal will be applied towards the development of a fund to provide annual donations of books on current mental health/illness topics.
Total fundraising goal:$1550.00
Rachel's library book may have burned (from The Library Book, by Susan Orlean), but with your donation to provide library books about this disease, we can help others gain an understanding of mental illness and open dialogue while we wait for cures.
Organizer
Cheryl Michulka
Organizer
Austin, TX