Keren Gonen, Geoff Green and Tiffany Megna of Team Up for Hope present the check to Sheila Sutton of NAMI Orange County. Photo provided by Team Up for Hope.
Warwick. Team Up for Hope, a non-profit, was founded in early 2020 by Geoff Green and Amy Green. With a dedicated all-volunteer group of Green Team sales associates and staff, the mission was clear: To address the impact of mental health, substance use and suicide in their communities.
In order to accomplish this, Team Up for Hope would raise funds and awareness for local nonprofit organizations at the forefront of these crises.
Now, just a year into its mission, Team Up for Hope is making a difference!
On Oct. 15, 2021, Team Up for Hope presented $3,000 checks to NAMI Orange County and NAMI Sussex County. This was in addition to the $2,000 donated to each of these National Alliance on Mental Illness affiliates in November 2020.
In response to the loss of in-person support and treatment due to the pandemic, these all-volunteer organizations found ways to reach out to those in need. However, they incurred unplanned expenses for technology, printing, postage, and other programs. Team Up for Hope, with the support of its sponsors, was able to provide funding for most of their overhead and program costs.
To raise awareness, Team Up for Hope is producing webinars focused on mental health and substance use issues, as well as suicide. The organization collaborates on its webinars with local experts and advocates to provide education, resources and support and maintains a website that includes community resources and information.
Team Up for Hope welcomes individuals and businesses to become sponsors. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Team Up for Hope is an all-volunteer organization and sponsorship money is donated to NAMI Orange County, N.Y., and NAMI Sussex County, N.J., and to other local non-profit organizations. Recipients to date include local artist and mental health advocate Dan McQuade, Center for Evaluation and Counseling, Family Partners of Morris & Sussex County and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
For information visit teamupforhope.org, or email them at teamupforhope18@gmail.com. For more information on your local NAMI affiliate, visit https://namiorangeny.org/ or https://www.namisussex.org/.