Foundation Update

While summer is winding down, things are still heating up here at The Kim Foundation! School districts are by far the busiest as kiddos and families navigate the new school year, but here at the foundation, we too are busy doing trainings for school staff, parents, nurses, students, and professionals on suicide prevention, mental health, and community resources. We’ve already done more than 130 presentations in 2018 and have many more coming this fall and winter. If you would like us to speak to your service or business group, parent and family group, or whoever it may be, please request a speaker on our website.

Our annual luncheon, A Time for Hope & Healing with Patrick Kennedy, is coming up on Tuesday, October 16^th at Embassy Suites La Vista. Registration has just opened and we are already on slate to blow last year’s attendance out of the water! If you’ve never had the opportunity to hear Patrick Kennedy speak, you should definitely plan to join us on the 16^th! He is a leading national advocate on mental illness and the passion he possesses from his personal experience and strong belief in quality services for all is palpable as he speaks to any audience. I know his time in Omaha will be no different! If you haven’t registered yet, please join us!

Also coming up this fall is our annual School Resource Fair where we are able to bring at least 50 local behavioral health organizations together to share their programs and available services with school professionals from all of the Region 6 school districts. Last year we had 13 school districts represented, and we are hoping for a strong showing once again. If you would like more information on the School Resource Fair on September 25^th please contact Lori Atkinson at latkinson@thekimfoundation.org.

Lastly, our 13 Minutes suicide prevention awareness campaign is going strong into its third year! We will be making some big changes in the coming months, and you’ll start hearing our message across the airwaves on several local radio stations. We will also be looking at additional ways to help spread the word and save more lives from suicide by empowering community members to learn suicide warning signs, and most importantly when they identify those in themselves or loved ones, what resources are available to connect them to for help. We can each play a role in instilling hope and saving lives from suicide, and as we approach September, which is Suicide Prevention Month, we hope you will join us in spreading the word!

Julia Hebenstreit, Executive Director of The Kim Foundation

Julia 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.