Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

[PRINT ON PROGRAM LETTERHEAD OR INSERT PROGRAM LOGO HERE]

[YOUR CITY]-Based [YOUR PROGRAM NAME] Joins More than 1,000 National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day Celebrations Across the Country

[CITY, State] — Today, [NAME OF YOUR PROGRAM] joined more than 1,000 communities across the country in celebrating the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day to raise awareness about the importance of positive mental health from birth. This year, the Awareness Day national event focused on young children from birth to 8 years old by emphasizing the need to build resilience in young children dealing with trauma.

For the past [INSERT NUMBER] years, [NAME OF YOUR PROGRAM] has offered young children and youth with mental health challenges in [INSERT NAME OF COMMUNITY] the services and supports they need to thrive at home, at school, and in the community. Research has shown that when children as young as 18 months are exposed to traumatic events, they can develop serious psychological problems later in life and have a greater risk for experiencing problems with substance abuse, depression, and physical health. Integrating social-emotional and resilience-building skills into every environment can have a positive impact on a child's healthy development.

To celebrate Awareness Day locally, [NAME OF YOUR PROGRAM] hosted [INSERT DESCRIPTION OF EVENT], involving more than [MINIMUM NUMBER OF EXPECTED PARTICIPANTS] from [NAMES(S) OF AREA(S)]. [INCLUDE ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR EVENT HERE.] These event(s) focused attention on the importance of providing comprehensive, community-based mental health supports and services to enhance resilience and nurture social-emotional skills in young children from birth. [IF EVENT/PROGRAM ADDRESSES THE NATIONAL "BUILDING RESILIENCE IN YOUNG CHILDREN DEALING WITH TRAUMA" FOCUS, INSERT DETAILS HERE].

"Awareness Day is an opportunity for us to join with over a thousand communities across the country in celebrating the positive impact that we can have on the lives of young people when we are able to integrate positive mental health into every environment," said [NAME AND TITLE OF PROGRAM SPOKESPERSON]. "When we focus on building resilience and social-emotional skills in young children from birth, especially if they have experienced a traumatic event, we can help young children, youth, and their families thrive."

Data released on May 3, 2011, by SAMHSA indicates [INSERT HIGHLIGHTS FROM NATIONAL EVALUATION DATA FROM 2011 SHORT REPORT THAT SUPPORTS YOUR COMMUNITY'S WORK].

In [INSERT CITY/COUNTY], [SHARE RELEVANT LOCAL EVALUATION DATA if available].

[INSERT QUOTE FROM YOUTH OR FAMILY MEMBER ABOUT WHAT AWARENESS DAY MEANS TO THEM]

[SHORT DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PROGRAM HERE THAT SAYS WHAT IT IS, WHEN IT WAS ESTABLISHED, HOW IT IS FUNDED, WHY IT EXISTS, WHO IT HELPS, AND ITS GEOGRAPHICAL SERVICES AREA.]

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