Thirty-One Gifts launches spring fundraising campaign in support of children’s mental health
COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 27, 2019) – Thirty-One Gifts and its charitable program, Thirty-One Gives, has launched a spring fundraising campaign to transform mental health services for children in the U.S. and Canada, and to be a bold voice in support of families battling mental illness.
Now through May 31, Thirty-One Gives will focus on raising awareness to break mental health stigmas through kindness while raising funds to support critical life-changing mental health research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the U.S., and vital mental health programs across Canada through Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations.
Thirty-One will offer customers the opportunity to support both hospital systems, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s On Our Sleeves behavioral health platform, by rounding up their purchase price to the nearest dollar or donating an amount of their choice.
The On Our Sleeves campaign features child models with graphic icons on their arms reminiscent of tattoos. The campaign seeks to break stigmas, start important conversations and raise much-needed funds for behavioral health research. Graphic stickers symbolize issues associated with mental health, and individuals are encouraged to engage with the topic because kids don’t wear their thoughts on their sleeves. The campaign will launch nationally in May,during Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Since 2016, we have proudly partnered with Nationwide Children’s Hospital in support of life-changing behavioral health research and are now proud to join the On Our Sleeves movement with our family of more than 60,000 independent sales consultants across the U.S. and Canada to break mental health stigmas and support children everywhere,” said Cindy Monroe, founder & CEO, Thirty-One Gifts.
Thirty-One also will launch a kindness campaign. They will encourage their independent sales field to practice kindness in their daily lives, with an awareness that kindness has benefits for those dealing with mental illness. There will be a special focus and social media campaign for the sales field conducted throughout May to involve consultants and customers to start the conversation about children’s mental health. Consultants also are encouraged to “Party with a Purpose” by holding a party with a theme focused on kindness and mental health awareness.
Statistics about children’s mental health are disturbing; one in five children is living with a mental illness.
“It is time to break the silence about children’s mental health, and with the support of mission-driven partners like Thirty-One Gifts, together we can set the foundation for helping children, not just in our own backyard, but also provide critical resources to children and families around the country,” said Niki Shafer, senior vice president, Outreach, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Thirty-One Gifts is a direct-selling organization offering purses and wallets, totes, baby bags, home organization solutions and décor, crafting storage, photo products, thermal bags, jewelry and more. Thirty-One Gives works to empower girls, women and families to lead purposeful, thriving lives. Since 2012, they have donated $100 million in products and cash to charitable organizations that share their mission.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric health care systems providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease.
Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds for a national network of hospital foundations as the largest single, non-government funder of child health in Canada. Together they represent 13 of Canada’s children’s hospitals where the greatest challenges are tackled, seeing the most critical cases.
To learn more about the campaign, including the icons being featured and their symbolism, visit onoursleeves.org to find and share U.S. mental health resources, and childrenshospitals.ca for resources in Canada.
If you or your child need immediate help due to having suicidal thoughts, go to your local emergency room immediately, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741-741.
