Today we’d like to introduce you to Amelia Floyd.
Hi Amelia, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am President and co-founder of the Engage and Heal Foundation. We are challenging communities to erase the stigma of mental health by shattering the silence and building a bridge for those who feel unheard and disconnected.
Engage & Heal Foundation began in the Lake Travis community as the Erik Hanson Memorial Scholarship. Erik was my daughter’s best friend who died by suicide in August 2018. Erik was an Eagle Scout, cadet in the Corps at Texas at A&M, 3-year varsity swimmer and varsity football player his senior year at Lake Travis High School. We raised over $10,000, awarding three $2000 scholarships to Lake Travis Cavalier football players, per the family’s request. Last year, we opened the scholarship to all athletes and clubs at LTHS and we awarded 1 scholarship to a young man looking to pursue his gymnast dreams at the University of Michigan. Engage and Heal is the acronym for Erik Hanson.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Engage and Heal Foundation launched a few months prior to the pandemic with the mission to erase the stigma of mental health by shattering the silence and building a bridge for those who feel unheard and disconnected. In hindsight, it was not an ideal time to create a non-profit, however the last eighteen months have absolutely shown us how critically needed mental health resources are in our community and nation.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Engage & Heal Foundation?
Through our efforts, we have brought the topic of mental health in front of 3,000 people educating them about mental health with the help of NAMI and Integral Care. By helping everyone become more aware of the warning signs, we can aid them to reach people and start a conversation. Our understanding and our presence are the first step in the healing process. We even helped a person in crisis secure the resources they needed instantly at one of our events.
We continue to build partnerships throughout the community to help facilitate interventions, education, and care. National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), Tune into Life (TIL) and Planned Living Assistance of Central Texas (PLANCTX) are just a few that we are proud to work with. We even work with Wellness directors that provide classes on nutrition, mindfulness, and Yoga.
There is an amazing resource page on our website, www.engageandheal.org, for those needing to locate help for issues like anxiety, depression, bullying, domestic violence, and suicide prevention. Having vetted all the mental health resources and making them easily accessible is of the utmost importance to our Engage and Heal mission; having exemplary business and community partnerships enables our mission to excel.
What does success mean to you?
If we can save 1 life, we have succeeded. In order to do this, we need to bring the topic of mental health into the forefront of our conversations. No one should feel ashamed to ask for help; you ask for help in school, at work, on a team, why not for your wellbeing?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.engageandheal.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/engageandheal
- Facebook: facebook.com/engageandheal
