Union County to Donate Profits to the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation on First-Ever “Stepping Up to Mental Health Summit” on May 18th

The Union County Board of County Commissioners is excited to announce the partnership of the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation with Union County for the upcoming UC STEP Civic Engagement Project, "Stepping Up to Mental Health Summit". The summit will be held on May 18^th at Oak Ridge Park from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Any funds raised by students during the course of this project will be donated to the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation.

"We are honored to have established a significant partnership with the Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation for this event. It's heartening to see how the foundation turned a painful loss into a source of hope for countless individuals who suffer silently with mental health challenges," said Commissioner Chairwoman and Liaison to the Mental Health Advisory Board, Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded. "Our goal with these events is to ensure that anyone who may be struggling with their mental health has access to the necessary resources and community support, and we couldn't have asked for a better partner in this cause. I look forward to seeing you there and being a part of this journey together."

The Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that was established in 2018 to honor and carry forward their daughter/sister Kim's legacy of caring and giving to those who struggled with mental health challenges. Kim tragically passed away in 2017 at the age of 24 before she had a chance to fulfill her dream of having a career in mental health counseling. She firmly believed and genuinely cared that those who face mental health challenges should be encouraged to feel comfortable with opening up about their feelings and treated with non-judgment, support, and compassion. The Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation carries forward this legacy in her honor and hopes to deliver the change she envisioned for others.

The Kimberly Anne Wilson Foundation believes in the benefits of mental health wellness through the use of different modalities. Creative wellness practices such as self-expression through art and music can have a therapeutic effect on an individual's mental health. In-school pet visits from certified animal therapy teams can also provide healing comfort to students.

Thanks to the extraordinary responses from our community, ideas presented by teams Light Green, Gold and Maroon will be featured as key components of the final community engagement project- the first ever Union County Stepping Up to Mental Health Summit.

Team Light Green's idea of hosting a mental health summit will be the main feature of our culminating event. Other activities, including team Maroon's Embrace(let)s project that focuses on embracing feelings whether they are good or bad will be included at the summit. Participants will make bracelets to spread mental health awareness to emphasize that "it's okay to not be okay." To honor Team Gold's project, Union County will create an online resource portal connecting our youth to mental health resources. By making resources readily available online, we can empower individuals to take proactive steps towards managing their mental health.

Each of the three projects presented at UC STEP address different aspects of mental health and in raising awareness. By pursuing all three initiatives simultaneously, our hope is to create a more holistic strategy that addresses the diverse needs of individuals struggling with mental health challenges.

Students will still have a chance to win the $1,000 START NOW Grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners.

For more information, please contact Judith Guest, Community Engagement & Diversity Coordinator at (908) 527-4388 or via email at [email protected]. For more information about UC-STEP, please visit ucnj.org/uc-step/.

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