The Fitzgerald Family Foundation, in conjunction with Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health, celebrated their fourth annual Golf Outing on Aug. 1, 2022, raising $140,000 for school-based mental health programs in our community!

Clay Ciha, president and CEO of Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, attended the golf outing. During his presentation, he shared the following statistics:

Pre-pandemic, one in five children ages 3 to 17 had a mental or behavioral disorder. 

Post-pandemic, high school students who reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by 40% to more than one in three students. Suicidal behaviors among high school students also increased. Between 2007 and 2018, suicide rates among youth ages 10 to 24 in the United States increased by 57%.

This past fall, a coalition of the nation’s leading experts in pediatric health declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. 

Improving students’ emotional health and behavior is the goal with outings such as this, as well as other school-based mental health programs in our community. To date, the Fitzgerald Family Foundation golf outings have raised more than a half million dollars of support for mental health counselors in seven high schools and four junior high schools within our community.

The counselors provide:

We want to thank our many loyal sponsors who have helped make this possible.

In addition, thank you to the many community residents who donated but could not attend the outing. 

We are looking forward to another successful year in 2023. Next year's golf outing is already scheduled for June 19, 2023.  Please mark your calendars and join us for a fun-filled day at Inverness Golf Club. 

Help us to make a difference; every little bit helps. Our community should be a better place because we were here. For more information, please visit www.fitzgeraldfamilyfoundation.org or email karen@fitzgeraldfamilyfoundation.org.