In a city that widely feels the daily effects of injustices such as racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of systemic oppression, it can be extremely difficult to end each day without feeling defeated. Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri also knows that what you scroll past on social media or hear on the news may not be directly in your neighborhood, but it is someone else's real life experience.

Someone near you or even perhaps you yourself, will face a heavier mental health burden as a result of the circumstances taking place in your community. We know that around half of all people in the U.S. will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition at some point in their lives and here in Missouri, 23.1% of adults are living with a mental illness. That's 828,000 people - making it critical for all of us to do our part.