The Jewish Innovation
Statistics are helpful in that they illustrate the scope of a given illness, but what’s more shocking than the numbers is that we aren’t talking about them.
So let’s talk about them!
Refa’enu was formed as a means to provide the Jewish community with education about and support for those affected by mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder). This includes people who themselves have a mood disorder, as well as their loved ones.
We plan to achieve this mission by executing educational programs via Jewish high schools, as well as by managing peer-led support groups for people with mood disorders and for their loved ones.
Our ultimate goal is to, by providing such education and support, assist these individuals on an ongoing basis toward better mental health management of these disorders, as well as educate the general Jewish population and decrease disorder-related stigma that may impede proper care and management.
Please join us on our mission to heal our community from within! Your contributions thus far have resulted in matching grants from the Good People Fund– so, thank you! The campaign is still in progress, and we are seeking as many contributions as we can by November 18 (when the campaign ends) so that Refa’enu can continue to operate on an ongoing basis. Every bit helps!
We hope you can be a part of this important communal cause and spread the word to your family and friends as well!
The Impact
Mood disorders are a community-wide concern, not just something that each individual should have to face alone.
Refa’enu was founded with this idea in mind. That is, to provide support for those affected by mood disorders by reaching into the heart of the Jewish community and facilitating the joint effort of decreasing stigma, increasing education, and providing support for people affected by these disorders. It is a process by which everyone can and should get involved, because it affects not just individuals, but the entire community as a whole.
Refa’enu’s tagline — “Healing Our Community From Within” — says it all. By working together to look out for each individual’s mental well being, we will also heal our community as a whole.
What Will You Do with the Money?
We have proposed two main projects:
1) Peer-led support groups due to start on November 18 in the Ben Porat Yosef building in Paramus, NJ. These groups will cater to both individuals with a mood disorder (depression or bipolar disorder) as well as to their loved ones who aim to assist these individuals on an ongoing basis towards better mental health care and mood disorder management.
2) A three-pronged educational program to reach students, faculty, and parents. This program, which will include psycho-education plus a panel of guest speakers who have gone through the trials of facing a mood disorder– whether in themselves or with a loved one– will essentially use high school as a vehicle to reach the entire Jewish community.
Your contributions will enable us to rent space for our peer-led support groups, purchase equipment for our in-school programs, pay guest speakers, cover insurance costs, and advertise, among other day-to-day expenses.
Please note that all contributions are tax-deductible.
