Seek Healing and Free Leadership.org collaborated on three educational videos to raise awareness about the role social capital plays in disaster resilience. Through the month of December 2024, we are asking for generous donors to contribute to our shared campaign. The funds raised will be spent on a collaborative project between our 5013c training future social health facilitators across both our service lines.

Our Mental Health Disaster Fund will provide support, mentoring and training to key residents of Asheville in the immediate weeks and months following  Hurricane Helene. Our plan ensures quick, high impact, people-oriented mental health first aid skill building and use, both preventing the worsening of mental health challenges and protecting the well-being of residents. We rely on immediate donations to help fund certification of mental health first aid to local community leaders who are well positioned and willing to be necessary resources for the greater community of Asheville in this time of need.  

These newly certified leaders will commit to using Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) when indicated,  guiding and supporting individuals and groups through the emotional landscape that results from collective traumas such as Helene.

In addition to certification, these community leaders will also receive:

• 8 sustainment sessions to optimize their MFHA skills, personal well-being, and knowledge of local recovery resources

• 4 MHFA sessions for themselves with a certified practitioner, counselor or coach.

Our Goals:

We will certify at least 20 grassroots leaders in organizations and neighborhoods in MHFA.

MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) certification instills the confidence and acumen to identify and respond to mental health challenges. Just like physical first aid, this course outlines basic steps to stabilize others, provide hope with facts, and to listen non-judgementally.  

Newly certified practitioners will be responsible for facilitating at least 6 MHFA sessions with individuals in their local region or throughout Asheville over the next 3 months. 

If we meet our funding goal, we will additionally be able to provide 25 Asheville residents 4 free mental health support sessions by the end of 2024.

Our Network Effect

20 community leaders trained and actively supporting their community

120 residents will be directly supported by a community leader

25 additional residents offered 1:1 support from our certified practitioners

165 people directly supported and empowered

Each one of these individuals touch 25-50 lives in their community

Our potential reach = 3,300-8,250 lives we can positively impact with knowledge and resources that will continue to support and spread organically

Donation Suggestions

$500 supports 1 out of the 20 scholarships 

$50 supports materials for the program  

$20 supports our shared belief that friendship is medicine

What is MHFA?

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an 8 hour educational certification that teaches people how to recognize the symptoms and signs of mental health challenges, provide fact informed guidance and hope, and walk people through self-support strategies that bolster, or stabilize, emotional wellbeing. 

FreeLeadership.Org uses a nationally recognized, standardized curriculum for MHFA. We believe in this form of collaborative resourcing. We include other established programs designed by experts in the field within our approach to bolster high-impact leadership and social capital building skills.