A MOTHER'S STORY

I believe everyone has experienced mental illness whether individually, a family member or a close friend. My husband and I worked with Jake on the symptoms of mental illness that he was diagnosed with but had no idea the darkness he felt and will regret for the rest of our lives that we didn’t know he was in this “darkness” and couldn’t help him.

The stigma of mental illness is prevalent. My goal is to start educating our younger population so they know they are not alone in any feelings or thoughts that they are having and it is ok to talk about it. The best way to reach a majority of our younger population is in our schools where they are in a safe environment surrounded by teachers and staff that can support them. That is why I chose the Shine Initiative to benefit from the proceeds of this tournament.