Oakland Outreach
Oakland Outreach is a
mental health-based volunteer and advocacy club. Our mission is to help not
only spread mental health awareness throughout the community but also to
provide support to organizations or people in the forms of mental health and wellness.
We work with local organizations such as Sojourner House, Community Forge,
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and more. The money that we raise
through Pitt Day of Giving will go directly toward helping us help these
organizations.
One of our biggest
volunteering events is going to Sojourner’s House about once a month each
semester. This is a halfway house for mothers who have experienced domestic
violence and/or substance abuse to stay with their children while they recover
and reenter the workforce. Each time our volunteers go, we either bring board
games, bracelet making supplies, crafts, etc. in order to provide activities
for both the mothers and their children. Not only are they fun experiences for
children, but the mothers also appreciate the ability to talk to people outside
of the home and be seen as actual human beings. Donations would allow us to buy
those types of supplies and even more to provide to this home whenever we go.
These donations will also allow us to offer better services to other local
organizations too. For example, Community Forge has requested us to come by to
help with demolition as well as set up for their future child community center.
Donations would allow us to buy the proper safety supplies for our members so
they can help out in the most effective and efficient way possible.
Mental
health is a cause that is so dear to all of our hearts for a huge variety of
reasons. Helping our organization means that you are also directly helping our
local Pittsburgh community and helping those who really need it. With the
stigma that still surrounds mental health, there is not an abundance of
organizations or volunteers doing the work that we do, really emphasizing the
importance of our club’s mission and why we need to continue what we do. We are
looking to expand our reach to even more communities and getting new resources
would make that even easier for us. A dollar makes a difference. We appreciate
any and all support provided from everyone. And as an organization we want to
remind everyone who is reading this, that you are never alone. You are
deserving of help, and you are so loved by so many, including all of us.