Through a coalition of business, community, and faith leaders, HeartSupport breaks down barriers between people and the help they need. Founded by August Burns Red frontman Jake Luhrs, the organization quickly became a community where people could come exactly as they are and explore healing, find relevant resources, and give back to help others grow stronger together.
HeartSupport continues the fight by raising funds for mental health and suicide prevention at their 3rd Annual Banquet and Golf Tournament, taking place this fall. All events are open to the public, and tickets and sponsorship information can be found on HeartSupport’s website.
Event Details:
Banquet — Oct. 4 at 6 pm | Golf Tournament — Oct. 5 at 8 am
Golf Club of Houston:
5860 Wilson Rd, Humble, TX 77396
We also spoke with John Williford, Director of the Houston chapter, about the heart of the organization and the upcoming events.
How has the last year and a half impacted mental health on a greater scale, or what has it shown us about mental health?
COVID-19 and all of its peripheral consequences have had a resounding impact on the mental health landscape of the U.S. Before COVID, suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death (most of those deaths deriving from mental illness), and rates of addiction increased at a steady rate. After a year of isolation, job loss, and uncertainty, those statistics have increased in a very negative direction — especially overdose deaths. Most of us don’t need the statistics to tell us that most of the people in our lives are struggling — in my personal life, I don’t know anyone including myself who isn’t struggling with anything from severe anxiety/depression to general stress and melancholy.
But — enough of the doom and gloom! This past year has shown an incredible resilience on our part to overcome and even thrive in a terrible situation. So many young people have unearthed tools — sharpened and honed during quarantine — that they might not have had without this difficult year. The HeartSupport staff in particular has had to work through all kinds of challenges to get the mission done. We’ve found some really great tools within the struggle, and while — let’s be honest — this past year and a half has really sucked, it’s formed and shaped us in a way that shows growth and strength that we can now use for the future.
“Mainly what we discovered is that most people just need one step or resource to overcome a dark struggle, and we can go give it to them.”
Are there any insights or discoveries you’ve made about mental health that people may not be aware of?
Only every day. As the Director of the Houston chapter of HeartSupport, I can speak to the experiences of Houstonians in terms of finding and receiving adequate care for their mental health. We started the Houston “Impact Zone” in the fall of 2019 after building a network of people, and we discovered several barriers to mental health support for most people: education, access, and stigma. Simply put: most people are not aware of the mental health resources available to them, 2/3 of people do not seek help or support on their own (World Health Organization), the people who do face significant barriers in terms of cost and time, and all the while facing cultural stigma. Stigma is any kind of oppressive language that communicates that navigating your own mental health is weak or “different” — we’ve made great strides here but have more work to do.
So, all of that is to say that in Houston we discovered that one of our primary focuses needs to be outreach. A focus on going out-out-out to find people where they live and work. During the pandemic, that meant going online. As COVID begins to lift, it means going out to festivals again. But mainly what we discovered is that most people just need one step or resource to overcome a dark struggle, and we can go give it to them.
How can we all live with more awareness of mental health?
Know mental health is just like exercise. Being involved in a mental health practice isn’t just for counselors or faith leaders — navigating our brains and how they work is akin to physical exercise. Much in the way that your muscles get weak if you don’t exercise, your brain can experience more frequent levels of stress and anxiety if you don’t take the time to self-care. Taking intentional, purposeful time out of your day to care for your mental health is important. When we don’t — for example, when we spend most of our time checking social media, binge-watching Netflix, or consuming our drug of choice — we pay the price.
Appropriate mental health care is for everyone, and we need to start acting like it. Also, as a small note, everyone should take QPR or some other kind of suicide-prevention first aid course. Simply knowing how to talk to someone who is suicidal (asking how they feel, asking if they have a plan, asking if they have the means to carry out that plan, etc.) can save someone’s life. Everyone should take a small course like that, just in case.
What kind of impact has HeartSupport had on the mental health community (partnerships, notable data or research, initiatives, etc.)?
You know, I began to answer this question in terms of data — the people we reach, our stats, and these kinds of things. But instead, I want to focus on the people. We don’t keep a record of how many people we’ve kept from making the decision to end their life. It may be in the hundreds if I had to guess. I know a dozen personally. But — them. They are the type of impact I want to talk about — people who, for one reason or another, found themselves at the end of the road contemplating taking their own life as a way to escape the pain. On the one hand, that can feel foreign and crazy to most of us; on the other hand, we’ve all been there. Feeling hopeless, worthless, completely and utterly alone.
HeartSupport exists so we can tell people that those things aren’t true and that gives hope to thousands of people every year. For some, it simply means that they are still here: walking around, going to work, being a friend to someone. If someone in the HeartSupport community hadn’t intervened, they might not be. I have a small whiteboard in my room from our “Support Wall” — the interactive wall we take to festivals for people to write their struggles on. A few years ago, a girl wrote on this whiteboard, “I’m glad I didn’t kill myself last year. Life is worth it.” I have no idea who wrote that. But I just know that if HeartSupport never did anything else, what we do matters. It mattered to her.
What can attendees expect at the annual banquet?
HeartSupport is in the process of developing what we call “City Initiatives.” After our main outreach opportunity — Vans Warped Tour — shut down, we knew it was time to hit the streets and start setting up “Impact Zones” in cities all across the country. And so we have; our first 2 City Initiatives being Lancaster, PA with Jake Luhrs and the opening of YourLife Gym, and Houston, TX.
The Houston Coalition Banquet is a fundraiser, and guests will be treated to dinner while we introduce several speakers who will detail our mission here in Houston. We’ll give a report of our outreach activities from the past year, show our impact, and ask for donations for the upcoming year. There will also be a silent auction, and we’ll probably set up the Support Wall to do outreach AT the event as well. Ultimately, we’re looking for people passionate about mental health and who are ready to hit the streets and do something about it.
What’s the best way to get involved with HeartSupport? If you don’t live in Houston, join our training grounds for people who want to make a difference: HeartSupport’s Masterclass. If you do live in Houston, snag your tickets to the Banquet or Golf Classic. After we raise funds, we’ll pivot back to what we do best: outreach. If you want to make a difference, come out and meet us, and join the team.
