May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a national observance held annually since 1949 to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of good mental health for everyone.
According to Mental Health America, one-in-five American adults live with a diagnosable mental health condition. Mental health, defined as emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Though we all experience emotional ups and downs, mental health conditions extend beyond these emotional reactions to become something longer lasting. They are diagnosable medical conditions that, like other diseases, are treatable. They are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. However, many individuals are ashamed to seek help because of misconceptions about mental health. The topic of mental health resonated with the Leadership Temple Class of 2022. During their nine-month program, they saw first-hand how unaddressed mental health issues have led to homelessness, stressed the justice system and emergency departments, and became more aware of the landscape within the business community with employee burnout, distress, and suicide. The group recognized a stigma still surrounds the topic of mental health and wanted to be part of changing the narrative. Engaging the Temple High School Career & Technical Education Video Production students, the group produced a video public service announcement. In the video public service announcement, Mental Health is All Our Concern, the participants were vulnerable about their own mental health struggles, shared the facts surrounding mental health, and provided resources for those in need. “We all have it [mental health]. Why are we so afraid to discuss it?” said Michael Rousell, CPA at Brockway, Gersbach, Franklin & Niemeier, and Leadership Temple Class of 2022 participant during the video public service announcement. Typically when discussing mental health conditions, the language is clinical and impersonal. Though useful for doctors, it is isolating and unrelatable to those experiencing mental health conditions. “The video project by Leadership Temple was a labor of love by the professionals engaged in the program,” expressed Shawn Reynolds, Chief of Police, Temple Police Department, and Leadership Temple Class of 2022 participant. “These professionals further recognized many misconceptions related to mental health and wanted to share personal experiences with mental health conditions and the facts to tackle the stigma associated with mental health.” The video served as the opening to the Central Texas Community Health Summit: Connecting the Dots 5.0 on April 27, 2022, at the Central Texas Council of Governments. The theme of the annual regional summit was Prioritizing Community Mental Health. “Sharing is the key to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health conditions. It shows others that they are not alone in their feelings or symptoms,” noted Bre’Layshia Alexander, Baylor Scott & White Health and Leadership Temple Class of 2022 participant. “There are people that care and want to help and assist you.” Reach out to the following for support:
In May, the Leadership Temple Class of 2022 participants will complete the Mental Health First Aid Certification through Central Counties Services. This 8-hour training teaches one to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health conditions and substance use disorders. It gives participants the tools to help friends, family, colleagues, and community members experiencing a mental health crisis. The Leadership Temple Class of 2022 participants are Bre’Layshia Alexander, Baylor Scott & White Health; Jake Blair, PE, Kasberg, Patrick & Associates, LP; Alfonzo James, Walmart Distribution Center #6083; Kevin Koonce, Right Sized Inventory; Tyson McLaughlin, Extraco Banks; Nanette Pace, 4 Legs of Love Boarding & Boutique; Shawn Reynolds, City of Temple - Police Department; Michael Rousell, Brockway, Gersbach, Franklin & Niemeier, P.C.; David Shine, Shine Richardson Group of Wells Fargo Advisors; Brian Stokes, Woodward Creative Group; Jordan Valentin, SweetTooth Growth Solutions, LLC; and Branan Walker, Lengefeld Lumber Company. Watch the video public service announcement Mental Health is All Our Concern on the Temple Chamber of Commerce YouTube Channel, www.youtube.com/templetexaschamber, or website www.templechamber.com/mentalhealth.
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 The Temple Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the Leadership Temple Class of 2020 with a graduation reception and dinner at the Oscar Store. Like so many aspects of our lives, the Leadership Temple 2019-20 program year was disrupted by COVID-19 in the spring which delayed the in-person celebration of their accomplishments until a safe gathering could be arranged. Leadership Temple, a program of the Temple Chamber of Commerce, is a professional development and education program designed to help current and emerging leaders understand the dynamics of the community and the role leadership plays in its long-term success. Under the 9-month program, participants meet monthly to survey how the community works from an entirely new perspective, helping them grow as leaders and professionals. The curriculum includes carefully selected topics and locations, chosen in an effort to set a foundation of how and why our community operates and interacts with surrounding communities and the state. Participants are also given access to behind-the-scenes opportunities and to community leaders in order to foster dialogue and inspire engagement in activities which contribute to the growth and betterment of the community. Each participant is also assigned to a small group, known as an “Action Team”, that is tasked with working together to formulate, develop, and execute a project to impact and spur positive change in the community. Examples of previous Leadership Temple projects include the Temple Community Clinic, the Bark Park, and Whistle Stop Park. The Action Teams reported on their projects to Chamber and Community leaders through a virtual platform on May 27, 2020. This year’s projects included a Putt-Putt Golf Course Feasibility Study, a Temple Entrepreneurship Program, Foster Love Respite Training, and Transportation Reform. The Putt-Putt Golf Course Feasibility Study sought to determine whether a public Putt-Putt Golf Course would be sustainable in Temple, TX. The Team conducted a community-wide survey, researched existing public courses in similar-sized communities, and is still working on determining initial capital expenses and projected maintenance costs, as well as determining the prime location. The Temple Entrepreneurship Program will help educate, coach, mentor, and equip local small business owners with the tools they need for success and has the potential to catalyze the growth of Temple’s economy. The 8-week series will walk entrepreneurs through some of the most challenging aspects of managing a small business. The series will begin in 2021 and be run through the Chamber. The Foster Love Respite Training project had a two-fold objective to create awareness about the need for Respite providers, and to help make Respite training more affordable in Bell County. Certified Respite providers are the only individuals allowed to “babysit” for parents of foster children in Bell County. The team raised funds to offset the cost of training and hopes to help Foster Love host the training. Additionally, the group has become digital advocates helping Foster Love spread their message as well as the need for Respite providers via social media. The Transportation Reform project discovered businesses, organizations, and community leaders concerned about current transportation services in Temple. They met with and built relationships with these stakeholders in order to facilitate the sharing of information, ideas, key concerns, and potential solutions. The team created a flyer with existing transportation services and is compiling all of the data collected to share with stakeholders. They seek to fill in the gaps in communication for moving towards a solution for better access to transportation/mobility options in order to meet basic community needs. Join us in congratulating the graduates of the 2019-20 program: Tami Annable, Temple Health & Bioscience District; Adelaide (Addie) Baird Earles, Magnolia Realty; Crystal Bell, Pattillo, Brown, & Hill LLP; Camryn Bintz, KPA Engineers; Stephanie Branham, Allumed, Inc.; Crystal Cowen, MRB Group; Justin Dorsey, Extraco Banks; Jennifer Douglass, Digital Cowgirl; Nichole Guajardo, State Farm Insurance; Sandra Haake, DB Commercial Real Estate; Christian Hernandez, Temple Independent School District; Daniel Jones, Brockway, Gersbach, Franklin & Niemeier, PC; Chris McCormack, Central Counties Services; Dana Mitchell, QuVa Pharma; Josh Murray, Canyon Creek Baptist Church; Kyle Revis, The Wood Group of Fairway Mortgage; Linnea Reyes, Central National Bank; Dylan Ripley, Edward Jones Financial Advisor; Michael (Mike) Snell, First Christian Church; and Scott Tarrant, McLane Group.
Andrew Lambert, Wilsonart, served as Class President and Tucker Glaske, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, served as Curriculum Chair for the 2019-2020 program. Graduates emerge from the program with an unprecedented level of community awareness as well as insights they can apply in the workplace. It maintains a strong alumni network and prepares future Temple leaders for community-oriented, decision-making positions. The executive committee of the Temple Chamber of Commerce voted on Friday, July 24 to accept the recommendation from the Business & Community Development Pillar to cancel the upcoming 2020-2021 Leadership Temple Class. It was determined holding the usual meetings, site visits, and group work gatherings was just not going to be possible due to the COVID-19 environment. An in-depth look at all alternatives was conducted to try and keep this year’s edition on track. In the end, it was decided that the safety of everyone involved was priority. It was felt that to do anything less than what is expected from Leadership Temple programs of the past, would take away from the unique experience Leadership Temple provides today. In the meantime, let us all embrace the guidelines. Social distancing, wearing a mask, washing your hands, and frequent use of hand sanitizer so we can begin to move forward as a community again. YOUR BUSINESS. YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR CHAMBER. G. Roderick Henry Temple Chamber of Commerce 254.314.8260 (direct) 254.773.2105 (office) 254.423.6235 (cell) |
