January 11, 2023
Contact: Michele A. Mathews – michele@mathewshrconsulting.com

As the 2023 Charity Director for HR Florida State Council, Inc.'s State Conference,
I am beyond excited to partner with such a fantastic organization as NAMI Florida.

Mental Health is something that every Human Resource Professional and Safety
Professional experiences first-hand daily, be it themselves, their colleagues/peers, or
the staff and stakeholders they serve. As someone that has served in those roles
internally for over 18 years and now as a Consultant, I have seen the effects of people
not being free to ask for help. It is time the stigma surrounding mental health goes
away, and people feel safe enough to say, "I am not doing ok," or "I need to talk to
someone."

I am also proud to serve on the board of HR Tampa, Where the board members give
that protected space to each other and foster a secure place for our members. During
all of COVID and still now, the board members all do periodic checks on one
another, sometimes in person, via video conference, and other communication. I
thank Chris Cavaliere, Dr. Patricia Sullivan, Carol Brnich, Mimi Tran, Dee Anna
Hays, Marian Morlock, and Dennis Hartin for kicking this initiative off in 2020!

We invite everyone, whether you are affiliated with HR Florida, One of the 28
affiliate chapters of the Society for Human Resources (SHRM) in Florida or not, to
help us provide hope & healing for people in Florida through our A Better Mental
Health Fundraiser. Where just $25.00 provides 15 hours of support! The link to our
fundraising page is: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/hrsupportsmentalhealth