5th Annual Benny Fund 5K – Race Results

Congratulations to Matt Billington for crushing some hills and finishing with a 5:51 pace!! Congratulations to our top female finishers:  Shantel Nephew (8:28 pace), Rachel Vickery (8:30 pace), Deana Hutson (8:35 pace) Congratulations to our top male finishers: Matt Billington (5:51 pace), Daniel Clesowich (6:03 pace), Ronald Doskoez Jr. (6:14 pace) Congratulations to our top[…]

Four Years Later …

A loss always seems fresh, even when the calendar tells me otherwise. Depression can really sneak up on you.  It’s not like you wake up one day with all of the symptoms, pull out your checklist, make an appointment with a doctor, talk it out for 30 minutes, swallow a pill, and call it a[…]

Thank You

co-9A most heartfelt thank you to everyone that supported the Benny Fund in 2016.  A special thank you to our board member Margo Giambarresi, Nicole Laino, Capital One, and the Pay It Forward program for an incredibly generous donation of $5,000.  Last week in New York, I had the honor of meeting wonderful people from an organization that not only strives to be great, but good.

There were 42,773 suicides in the last reported year in the US, 117 a day, one every twelve minutes.  Each statistic is a mother, father, son, daughter, sister, friend, and in my case, my little brother.   For me, this mission is clearly personal.  The Benny Fund was borne in response to a tragedy that I, quite frankly, had no idea how to deal with.  It was something I could focus on to get me through my days when I was utterly lost and heartbroken.  Turning grief into action was the only way that I could move forward.

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Mental Health Care Gets A Boost From 21st Century Cures Act

“The 21st Century Cures Act that gained congressional approval on Wednesday has been championed as a way to speed up drug development, but it’s also the most significant piece of mental health legislation since the 2008 law requiring equal insurance coverage for mental and physical health. The bill includes provisions aimed at fighting the opioid[…]

The Benny Fund 5K – Full Race Results

“Runners and walkers faced a mostly uphill first mile on this point-to-point course before enjoying two miles of downhill to the finish line at Sears Park. The first male to cross the finish line was Charlie Grillo from West Hartford in 18:55, followed by Julien Minnick in 19:49 and David Hansen in 19:52 who came[…]

When I Was Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder, People Thought I Was Cursed

“It is certainly good news that mental health is finally becoming part of the development conversation. But the discussion must include voices like mine — voices of people living with mental health conditions in the developing world — so we can help global institutions design the best mental health care systems for even the most[…]