50 Years of Building Better Lives

Celebrate with SIRSS - Fifty Years of Building Better Lives!

SIRSS is 50!  Join the year-long party with these 50 golden ways to help us celebrate!

1. Join us on September 16^th  at 5:30pm for our 50^th Anniversary Celebration at the Carbondale Civic Center. 
2. The more, the merrier!  Invite friends and family to join you at the September 16^th Anniversary Celebration.
3. Support SIRSS’ capital campaign.  A new facility will expand the services available to our community.
4. Contact your state representatives to demand increased funding for critical social services, such as those provided by SIRSS.
5. SIRSS serves about 2000 people a year.  A gift of $1500 offers hope for recovery for one year for one client.
6. Include SIRSS in your estate planning to leave a legacy supporting health and wholeness in our community.
7. Challenge the stigma of silence and shame often accompanied by mental illness.  Share stories about any mental health issues in your family. 
8. Visit SIRSS’ website (www.sirss.org) to learn more about how we help children, adults and families across Southern Illinois.
9. Enjoy golf?  Join us on October 8^th at Hickory Ridge Golf Course for the annual Friends of SIRSS Golf Scramble. 
10. Host a reception to share the important work SIRSS does and why a new facility is crucial for our community.
11. Make a difference in kid’s life.  Volunteer to be a “Big” through Big Brothers Big Sisters.
12. Have fun and learn about mental health at the screening of Joe Pantoliano’s documentary No, Kidding, Me Too! at the Varsity Center for the Arts on June 11^th at 6:30pm.
13. Calling all leaders!  Interested in serving on a SIRSS board or committee?  Contact Executive Director Karen Freitag at kfreitag@sirss.org.
14. Every dollar invested in drug and alcohol abuse prevention saves up to $10 in treatment.  Your gift to Friends of SIRSS supports prevention programs in our schools.
15. A Charitable Gift Annuity can benefit SIRSS and provide an income for you.  Contact the Southern Illinois Community Foundation for more information.
16. Walk the Blues Awaywith us on May 14th and learn more about the connection between mental and physical fitness.  Join us at 11:30 am at the Carbondale Civic Center.
17. Contact your U.S. representative asking for increased funding for the Mental Health Services Block Grant.
18. May is Mental Health Month!  Write a letter to the editor giving your support for SIRSS and other agencies that promote mental health.
19. Recovery is a precious gift: your gift of $75 supports one hour of substance abuse counseling.
20. Start your mental work-outs now and be in top shape for next year’s Friends of SIRSS Trivia Night.
21. Want to multiply your gift to SIRSS?  Ask if your employer offers matching gift opportunities.
22. Every dollar invested in drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs saves up to $10 in social costs for our community, such as incarceration.  Your gift to Friends of SIRSS helps support counseling and other programs that ultimately benefit our whole community.
23. Learn more about mental health… visit Mental Health America’s website (www.nmha.org).
24. A gift of appreciated stock will benefit SIRSS and may have helpful tax benefits for you too.
25. In-kind gifts sweeten the experience for event attendees.  Do you have a potential prize, gift card or other in-kind gift that might benefit SIRSS?
26. Did you know that 88% of our “Littles” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program showed an increase in academic performance?  Gift cards to local kid-appropriate restaurants support the critical relationship between a “Big” and a “Little.”
27. You can support healing in our community: a gift of $75 provides one hour of counseling for an adult. 
28. Do you know someone who has struggled with mental health issues?  If appropriate, ask that person to share with you a story about his or her journey to recovery.   Give a gift to Friends of SIRSS in honor of that person.
29. Could your home be a safe place for a young adult in need of temporary shelter?   Talk with Mike Rohling at 618-457-6703 ext. 229 about being an Emergency Youth Home.
30. Mental health and physical health are interconnected: people who experience loneliness are more susceptible to high blood pressure.  Call or visit someone who may be lonely or isolated.
31. Your name can be associated with help and healing.  Naming opportunities in the new SIRSS facility are available for gifts ranging between $7,500 and $100,000.
32. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Isaac Newton all lived with mental illness.  Learn more about mental health by reading a biography of any of these or other persons with mental illness.
33. A gift of $50 provides one night of safe, emergency shelter for a homeless youth.
34. Arrange for your church, social or civic group to hear a presentation on SIRSS services, tour current facilities and see plans for the new facilities.
35. Combine health and beauty at Martini & Manicure Night on May 3 at The Blue Martin in Carbondale; $5 for every manicure goes to SIRSS.
36. Have fun and learn more about mental health at Ladies’ Night at Wright Do-It Center in Murphysboro on Tuesday, May 11^th.  Proceeds support the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
37. When crisis occurs, SIRSS is there 24-7.  A gift of $120 provides one hour of urgent crisis counseling.
38. Regular exercise is one stress management technique.   Commit to continuing (or starting) an exercise plan even when life gets stressful.
39. Become a sponsor for the Annual SIRSS Golf Scramble – highlight your business and support SIRSS!
40. September is Recovery Month.  Watch for ways to acknowledge alcohol and drug recovery efforts in our community.
41. Join the Brotherhood of Old Bikers for a Poker Run on July 31 to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.
42. Invite a SIRSS speaker to your church or social group to learn more about the work we do and why it matters.
43. A named endowment to benefit SIRSS can be your family’s legacy in support of mental health.  Contact the Southern Illinois Community Foundation for more information.
44. SIRSS’s Court Diversion program helps youth stay out of jail.  Your gift to Friends of SIRSS offers opportunities to learn new social skills and receive therapies to help youth chart a new life direction.
45. Help us celebrate SIRSS’ Golden Anniversary and broaden community awareness.  A $50 gift to Friends of SIRSS helps sponsor golden anniversary events throughout the year!
46. The Community Mental Health Services Improvement Act (H.R. 1011) will strengthen community-based mental health and addiction treatment, particularly in underserved areas.  Contact your U.S. representative and ask him/her to be a co-sponsor for H.R. 1011.
47. Dust off that bowling ball and start practicing for The Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids’ Sake next spring.
48. Join the SIRSS Threshold Club through a $1000 gift to the Capital Campaign.  Your gift ensures a welcoming environment for our clients.
49. Hold your own movie festival: Watch The Soloist (2009) and talk about how it depicts mental illness.
50. The best way to celebrate SIRSS’ 50 year history of Building Better Lives?  Be a part of our future!