March 30, 2021 is World Bipolar Day. I am pledging to sew/make for 12 hours from 8AM to 8PM PST to raise awareness and funds in support of various mental health organizations! Funds will be split 4 ways and donated to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), The Loveland Foundation, Latinx Therapy, and Asian Mental Health Collective.
Why Is This Important to Me?
According to the National Institute for Mental Health, 5.7 million adults in the US live with bipolar disorder. I happen to be one of them. Without these types of mental health organizations, I would have felt lost and alone when initially navigating this mental health condition. I still heavily rely on these resources and believe in paying it forward so others can also find the support they need.
I am also passionate about mental health in the BIPOC community, as I feel that is a community that needs a significant amount of support. Being Filipino, I understand how difficult it is to feel comfortable in getting the appropriate help due to the stigma of mental health being typically greater in the community. It can be viewed as shameful and attributed to “laziness” or something that one should “just get over”. Additionally, with such a heavy amount of racism that is happening right now, the BIPOC community really needs these resources to feel supported.
How You Can Help
On Saturday, March 27, you can sew, crochet, knit, etc. with me in solidarity and/or make a donation to my fundraiser! I will be going Live on Instagram throughout the day to share more information about Bipolar Disorder and the general topic of mental health, my personal experience, and of course what I’m making that day!
You can find my donation page here. Follow me on Instagram to follow along throughout the day on March 27!
Additional Thanks
I would also like to thank Thrivent Financial for supporting causes via the Thrivent Action Team program. Having my IRA and life insurance accounts through Thrivent, I am a member and am eligible for 2 action teams per year. This program has provided me $250 in seed money to purchase the necessary equipment for me to go live throughout the day!
Leave a Reply