M.I. Mother’s Keeper is a mental health awareness & advocacy non- profit organization. We provide ongoing resources, housing, programs, literature, support groups & outreach to help keep the importance of mental health & its prevalence at the forefront of our every- day compassion & efforts. M.I. Mother’s Keeper works with citizens on the community level who live with mental challenges daily, to help improve their quality of living and to help strengthen our communities.

M.I. Mother’s Keeper intends for mentally challenged & exposed individuals who are living in lower income & poverty stricken communities to have a community resource, & secure environment to speak about & receive assistance with matters relating to social withdrawal, functional difficulties at home, school or work, disconnection from reality, alcohol or drug abuse, thoughts of suicide, lack of self-esteem, trauma induced violence & activities, & various other circumstances that help to disrupt the community’s ability to become stabilized & to remain viable with regards to its’ citizens’ overall health & well- being.

Additionally, M.I. Mother’s Keeper has adopted the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration’s (S.A.M.H.S.A.), 8 Dimensions of Wellness initiative, as part of M.M.K.’s Healthy Living programs, designed to be a preventative measure & to ensure that citizens are able to live a longer, healthier & happier life by connecting all aspects of trauma, positive behavioral & mental health on the community level.

Yesterday’s approach to mental health we know primarily focused on the individual’s mental health diagnosis, and not so much on preventative measures. We know also, that because of very recent research by S.A.M.H.S.A. and the National Institute of Mental Health (N.I.M.H.), that when we only focus on the diagnosis and not the entire wellness of the individual, we lose an opportunity to help them to extend and improve their lives for the better. Research does support that many mental health citizens are dying sooner than should be the case, so our programming approaches mental health from a wellness standpoint. We also deal with the STIGMAs that keep so many from seeking help for fear that they will be labeled.

We help individuals and families to push through the stigma, stand up & to ask for the necessary help that they need. We further advocate on behalf of and support them through their efforts to heal and recover. Additionally, we focus on offering children alternatives to the same toxic environments that are contributing to the demise of their families, neighborhoods, and communities. M.I. knows that the children will most likely continue to demonstrate similar patterns & cycles of destructive behavior and despair if there aren’t positive, accountable, resources, and services on the community level to help appropriately and culturally guide and support them.