Fall Happenings

As I dropped my daughter off for the first day of her junior year, I was hit with a wave of panic – “I can’t believe summer is already over!” Followed by an immediate, “Oh my gosh! My baby is an upper classman (woman)!” The older she gets, the faster I think time is going. Or maybe it’s the older I get? Either way; time is flying by! So with that I hope the process of back to school, no matter what that looks like for you, wasn’t too chaotic! For The Kim Foundation, back to school season has meant numerous suicide prevention and mental health awareness trainings spanning from Greeley, NE to right here in Omaha. We are happy to provide these trainings free of charge to school districts, organizations, church groups, and companies. We train the staff, parents, and students, and we have had resounding success so far. Thank you to each group who has brought us in this year. If you are looking for a presenter or trainer, please reach out and we can get something on the calendar.

I also want to commend our staff for reaching our annual goal of 150 presentations so far this year. 150! To meet this annual goal in August is incredible, and I am so proud of our team. Thank you Janae, Jill, and Lori for all of your hard work and dedication to these efforts!

Back to school also means a new take on our annual Organizational Fair. This year we have changed the name of the event to Resource Fair, and we will be expanding by making it available to all school district personnel throughout Region 6. We are looking for any organization serving youth or adult in mental health services to join us on September 26 at the Bellevue Public Schools Lied Center. We are breaking it into two identical sessions so that school personnel can break up their teams and not all be gone from the building at one time. The organizations will still have three minutes to inform the audience about their programs, mission, events – whatever they want to use their three minutes for, and there will still be plenty of time for networking and getting resources from the various organizations. To sign up to attend or to participate as an organization, please contact Lori Atkinson at latkinson@thekimfoundation.org or 402.891.6911.

A Time for Hope & Healing with Mike Veny, our annual luncheon, is coming up as well! Join us on October 24 at Embassy Suites La Vista from 11:30am to 1:00pm for the luncheon, and then from 1:30 to 3:00pm for a more in-depth, personal conversation with Mike. Throughout the day Mike will weave his story of lived experience and recovery into a hopeful message that raises awareness around mental health. Click here to register.

While the last days of summer are winding down, things around here remain busy and our engagement in the community to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention continues to grow. If you have any questions about our programs or upcoming events, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at jhebenstreit@thekimfoundation.org.

Julia Hebenstreit, Executive Director of The Kim Foundation

Julia Hebenstreit is the Executive Director of The Kim Foundation. She received her J.D. from Creighton University in 2005, and her BS in Journalism from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2002. She has been with The Kim Foundation since 2011, and prior to that worked for local non-profits doing development, strategic planning, communications and advancement. She has a passion for helping people and improving lives, and serves on the Executive Committee for Nebraska Association of Behavioral Health Organizations, as the 2015 Hill Day State Captain for the state of Nebraska, and as an active member of the Nebraska Suicide Prevention Coalition, the Early Childhood Mental Health Coalition, BHECN Advisory Committee, RESPECT Advisory Board, Connections Advisory Board and the Project Propel Planning Group.