This Is My Brave Receives $100,000 Inspiration Grant from Alkermes
November 9, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mariclare Hulbert, Publicist
mariclare.hulbert@gmail.com |585-278-2302
THIS IS MY BRAVE RECEIVES $100,000 INSPIRATION GRANT FROM ALKERMES
Funding will Support the Creation of a Mini Documentary –
Living Brave: thriving despite mental illness and addiction
(Ashburn, VA) This Is My Brave, a non-profit dedicated to ending the stigma of mental illness, under the leadership of Executive Director and Co-Founder Jennifer Marshall, is pleased to announce it is the recipient of a $100,000 Inspiration Grant from Alkermes. The grant will support the development and production of a mini-documentary to tell the story of how This Is My Brave is making a difference in the lives of people who have been inspired by the organization.
Through the 2017 Inspiration Grant program, Alkermes awarded $1 million in grants to national and local non-profit community organizations for the implementation of innovative, high-impact and replicable programs designed to support people affected by mental health and substance use disorders.
“Addiction and mental illness affect millions of people and their families every day, and require an integrated approach to treatment that is scalable in communities across the country,” said Richard Pops, Chief Executive Officer of Alkermes. “Medicines play a role, but importantly, it is the innovative programs designed to support people affected by these diseases and led by passionate leaders on the front lines that will ignite sustainable and meaningful change for patients.”
This is the second year Alkermes awarded Inspiration Grants, and This Is My Brave was one of only 13 programs selected out of nearly 300 proposals.
“We are thrilled to receive this support from Alkermes to help further This Is My Brave’s mission of breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness,” said Executive Director Jennifer Marshall. “This Inspiration Grant will enable us to reach significantly more people with our message of hope and resilience and will elevate our impact to the next level.”
The overall goal of This Is My Brave, Inc., is to ignite and actively promote a positive, supportive national conversation about mental illness through its unique storytelling productions in cities across the country and, as of this year, internationally in Australia. By the end of this year, This Is My Brave will have produced 35 unique shows featuring more than 500 individuals sharing their stories of mental illness and addiction on stage.
The mini-documentary, titled Living Brave: thriving despite mental illness and addiction, will capture the impact the This Is My Brave experience has on 4-6 cast members by following them through a 10-month period. Through the creation and sharing of this documentary, This Is My Brave will educate viewers on several types of mental illnesses and addiction, as well as the various pathways to recovery through the stories shared on stage and in additional footage and interviews. This Is My Brave hopes viewers will be brave enough to start conversations with their family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and others, breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction.
The mini-documentary project will begin in January 2018, with a distribution goal of December 2018.
For more information about This Is My Brave and its programs, visit thisismybrave.org.
About Alkermes
Alkermes plc is a fully integrated, global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases. The company has a diversified commercial product portfolio and a substantial clinical pipeline of product candidates for chronic diseases that include schizophrenia, depression, addiction and multiple sclerosis. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Alkermes plc has an R&D center in Waltham, Massachusetts; a research and manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland; and a manufacturing facility in Wilmington, Ohio. For more information, please visit Alkermes’ website at www.alkermes.com.
About This Is My Brave
This Is My Brave, Inc. is a 501(c)3 founded in 2013 by Jennifer Marshall and Anne Marie Ames. Diagnosed with Type 1 Bipolar Disorder in 2006, Jennifer created This Is My Brave because she learned first-hand how powerful and therapeutic it was to live openly and not hide her diagnosis. She wanted to give brave individuals from the community a platform through which to creatively share their stories of living with mental illness to educate and inspire others. Launched by a KickStarter campaign—which led to the first This Is My Brave show being produced in Arlington, VA, in 2014—This Is My Brave’s mission is to end the stigma surrounding mental health issues by sharing personal stories of individuals living successful, full lives despite mental illness through poetry, essay and original music, on stage in front of a live audience, through stories submitted and published to its blog, and via its YouTube channel.
Through the sharing of stories and experiences of those in recovery, This Is My Brave provides a sense of community and hope and encourages others to share their stories. By the end of 2017, This Is My Brave will have produced 35 shows in 25 cities in 18 states and the District of Columbia, including two shows in Australia. More than 7,000 audience members will have attended these shows and over 500 individuals will have shared their stories on stage. Through its YouTube channel, This Is My Brave has produced over 530 unique videos which have been viewed more than 93,000 times. This Is My Brave was featured in The Oprah Magazine August 2016 issue and in a feature story in The Washington Post earlier that same year. For more information, visit thisismybrave.org.
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