Hi, my name is Richard, and I am one of the group leaders called the Commissioners. Our group cares deeply about mental health. I myself, who served in the Marines for 20 years, knew several active duty and veterans who felt their lives were meaningless after struggling with depression, anxiety, and loneliness. This is why our group is motivated to raise funds for Mental Health America. Mental Health America is an organization that specializes in helping all people facing mental health challenges find the right resources to overcome their struggles for free. Some people need counseling, housing, or a support group that makes them realize they have a purpose. Mental Health America can help! Please help us by donating to Mental Health America so they can continue supporting our friends and family.

Mental Health America Services

Free Online Screening - PTSD, anxiety, depression, addictions, and many more

Education and Resources - materials for mental health issues and prevention.

Advocacy and Policy - policies that make mental health services more accessible.

Support Groups and Peer Support - peer support, support groups, and mentorship.

Workplace Wellness - offers resources and toolkits for mental health challenges in the workplace.

Crisis Response - hotlines and warmlines for people who need immediate assistance.

Below is a personal story shared by our team member Greg.

A man who was born and raised in Denton, Texas, whose family had owned a business for many years, which he had assumed control of after his father had become unable to work. He married his high school sweetheart and ran that business until he had to sell it under a business agreement. Then he bought another business, built it up, and sold it. This man was of college age in the 1970’s, he knew all the party people and was a social fixture for many years, even owning a landmark at one time that he had built with his own hands. He raised his middle-class family and worked all his life to provide for them. He had always been stubborn and a bit odd, but funny. As he got older and was no longer able to work by his mid 60’, he began to spend a lot of time researching conspiracy theories. Although he never drank alcohol, he had a lifelong love affair with marijuana and was now smoking daily for much of the day. He began to show signs of mental illness, and family members tried to get him to see a substance abuse counselor and a mental health specialist. By this time in his life, most of the money was gone. He and his wife were on a fixed income, and they lived in a house his wife had inherited from her family, which was basically falling apart. Still, he wouldn’t let anyone fix anything, and his behavior was getting worse, and his now adult daughters and his aging wife begged him to let them fix things and for him to seek help. He, as you can imagine, refused. They called adult services, who came out and said that since he was not threatening anyone or trying to hurt anyone else, they could do nothing but file the report. This process continued to repeat for about three years, then he walked out of the house without his meds for his other health conditions and didn’t come back. His family searched for him and found him living on the street, with no money and nowhere to stay. They tried to force him into the car to take him home, but he fought them and refused. They called adult services again and were told that they could do nothing, and he could not be forced against his will to seek help because he was not hurting anyone nor trying to hurt himself. His wife and daughters lost contact with him, his siblings flew in to try to help, and even when they found him, he refused help and faded back into the homeless community. Less than a year after leaving his home, his family received a call that he was in the hospital, malnourished, suffering from the effects of untreated diabetes. Having left his CPAP machine when leaving home, his severe sleep apnea had weakened his immune system, causing his weight to go up even though he was malnourished. He was suffering from pneumonia and sepsis. He lived that way for about a week, and his wife sat beside him as life ended in that sad state because he refused to get help.