Between May's Mental Health Awareness month, Boston Marathon runners stepping up in solidarity and celebrities and athletes like Jarren Duran revealing their struggles, mental health has been in the spotlight.
Here in Massachusetts, Call2Talk is hoping to keep this momentum going so that mental health remains on everyone's mind. As the dedicated emotional support and suicide prevention helpline of Mass211, Call2Talk is a 988-crisis center and available 24/7 as a free and confidential way for callers to get the help and support they need.
“At Call2Talk, we have a heightened awareness of mental wellness challenges and during Mental Health Awareness Month as well as every month, we use our skills to support those that are brave enough to reach out to us for support," said Eileen Davis,Vice President of Mass211.
This year, 13 Boston Marathon runners from Team Framingham raised a total of $56,752 to support Call2Talk as it grows in capacity to meet a greater need.
One runner, Framingham High School teacher Aline Ribeiro, said it meant the world to her to get involved and personally raise over $4,000 for Call2Talk.
"Running my first marathon for such a powerful organization and representing mental health and being an inspiration for my own students, it's so powerful," she told a crowd at the United Way of Tri-County's MetroWest Corporate 5K on May 15th.
The 5K was a fundraiser for Call2Talk and the United Way of Tri-County's other programs. Ribeiro and fellow Call2Talk-Team Framingham runner and top fundraiser, Jackie Burgoyne, joined in the race and were proud to support the cause.
Ribeiro wants everyone who struggles to know they are not alone.
"If you're scared, if you feel like you're a victim, if you feel like you're weak, you are not weak," Ribeiro said. "You are powerful just because you are taking the first step to ask for help. Just look around you and you have help."
While May is Mental Health Awareness Month, the race was on Mental Health Action Day, a newer movement to shift the culture from just raising awareness to doing more.
David O'Leary, a passionate mental health advocate and former Boston radio personality, said it was a day to take "real steps to care for ourselves and others."
Throughout the month, Call2Talk shared a calendar of daily tips like "smile at someone who looks sad," "start a gratitude journal" and "take a walk in nature," and the activity for May 15th was to join in the race since getting exercise and making social connections are good for your mental health.
"Movement, whether running or walking or simply just staying active lifts spirits and eases stress and it supports mental health," said O'Leary, who volunteers as a member of Call2Talk’s LOSSTeam MetroWest, a program that supports loved ones following a suicide.
O'Leary said that we need to talk about our emotional wellbeing the same way we would, for example, needing knee surgery, and everyone there was helping to take action.
"Your dedication, everybody with running shoes on tonight, you're helping to ignite a spark of hope that reaches far beyond this moment," he said. "Your presence is powerful."
Funds raised at the 5K for Call2Talk and by Team Framingham are helping Call2Talk expand its services, including a new in-person mental health support group.
Senior Connections is for older adults 55+ who may be experiencing loneliness, loss of independence, medical issues, bereavement and other suicide risk factors that affect us as we age.
Advocates like O'Leary say being open and honest about our mental health is vital.
Earlier this spring, we learned Red Sox star, Jarren Duran, had attempted suicide during the 2022 season. The Club's President and CEO, Sam Kennedy, called Duran's candor "an act of courage."
Days of Our Lives star, Francisco San Martin, and Hollywood writer-director, Jeff Baena, are among notable people who have died by suicide this year, and a new documentary on Billy Joel reveals his two past suicide attempts, one of which left him in a coma.
Call2Talk is available 24/7 for anyone needing emotional support or mental health help for themselves or a loved one.
Dial 988 for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or reach Call2Talk through Mass211 by dialing 211 x25 from any phone in Massachusetts. You can also dial directly: 508-532-CALL (2255) or 413-505-5111.