The Ethel and James Flinn Foundation is proud to announce new Board appointments among its Board of Trustees. Susan Perlin is the Vice Chairman, Victor Hicks II is the Treasurer and the Honorable Freddie G. Burton, Jr. has been appointed Chairman of the Board.
“We are so pleased to have these incredible professionals help us with our mission to improve mental health awareness and access in southeast Michigan,” said Andrea Cole, Flinn’s President and CEO, who was also appointed Board Secretary.
Susan B. Perlin, CPA, is a retired partner at Plante Moran, one of the country’s largest public accounting and business advisory firms. Perlin was the leader of Plante Moran’s not-for-profit industry group and has 38 years of experience serving nonprofit organizations.
“The Foundation was a client of mine when I was with Plante Moran,” Perlin said, “and I always admired the work the Foundation was doing and the active engagement of all of the Board members.”
Victor H. Hicks II is the Owner and Managing Principal of Lumin Financial, LLC. He’s been a certified financial planner since 1995, specializing in running employee benefits plans and managing retirement assets.
“We’re excited to have Sue and Victor step up into these new roles on our Board,” Cole said. “And Judge Burton has been a long-time partner in our mental health advocacy mission. His appointment to Chairman of the Board is a natural progression of his dedicated service.”
Judge Burton has been a member of the Wayne County Probate Court since 1987 and served as Chief Judge from 1990 through 1997. He has partnered with the Flinn Foundation on the Wayne County Jail Mental Health Initiative, which works to get nonviolent offenders mental health assistance instead of incarceration.
“I am honored to be the Chairman of the Board,” Burton said. “The Board members bring diverse skills with mutual focus on the Flinn mission. This combination gives me great confidence that we are moving in the right direction for the delivery of better mental health services in our community.”
Burton replaces Duane L. Tarnacki, one of the state’s top nonprofit attorneys, as Chairman of the Board.
“Duane is one the foundation’s longest-serving Board members, and we thank him for his exceptional leadership and continued dedication,” Cole said. “We’re grateful he’s still a Flinn Board trustee. We are grateful to all of our trustees for their generosity in offering their time and talents to our organization and its important work.”
Does bullying contribute to youth suicide? It’s not as simple as you think, says a local expert.
Bullies have been lurking in school hallways and on playgrounds forever, and while bullying is nothing new, the places where it takes place have expanded online. In fact, dosomething.org notes that 37% of kids ages 12-17 have been victims of cyberbullying.
“More than half of my patients have had some bullying throughout their young lives,” Gigi Colombini, a psychotherapist and founder of the Institute for Hope and Human Flourishing, tells Metro Parent in its March/April 2023 article “Does Bullying Contribute to Youth Suicide?,” which is part of a special 2023 content series sponsored by the Flinn Foundation.
Bullying can still look the way it did years ago, such as being called names, pushing and being left out. No matter how the bullying happens (whether it’s in-person or online), it can seriously impact a child’s mental health.
But can it cause a child to commit suicide? Don’t be so quick to assume that, Colombini urges.
“It’s a risk factor. It’s not a warning sign,” Colombini says. “If somebody is already suicidal and then they start being bullied, the risk will increase because that’s another disempowerment, another stressor, another thing they feel hopeless about.”
Children who have been both the bully and the bullied are at the most risk in terms of suicide-related behavior.
If your child is bullying someone at school, start asking questions: What was going on inside of you? What can you do to help yourself feel better? You ultimately want them to strive to behave better.
When it comes to a child who is being bullied, keep an eye out for shifts in behavior, including acting out, not wanting to go to school, complaining of stomach aches and headaches to get out of class and more.
If you see any shifts, ask your child if there is anyone you’re having a hard time with. Listen, and then ultimately get in touch with the school. It’s essential to work together with your child’s school, Colombini says.
For even more insight and advice on how bullying impacts youth suicide, read the full article at MetroParent.com.
Why does youth suicide happen? A southeast Michigan expert offers insight.
“Why?”
It’s a question that plagues parents of children who die of suicide — the second leading cause of death among kids ages 10-14 and the third leading cause of death among those 15-24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
While every person’s situation is unique, there are some common themes when it comes to youth suicide, Chelsea Zuteck, a licensed clinical social worker at Horizon Counseling Center, tells Metro Parent in its January/February 2023 article “Why Youth Suicide Happens,” which is part of a special 2023 content series sponsored by the Flinn Foundation.
“As a broad statement, I would say that sometimes teenagers have trouble with coping with stressors that may be associated with being a teen such as dealing with rejection, failure, breakups, school difficulties, things like that,” she says.
Because the brain’s frontal lobe, which is its impulse control center, doesn’t develop until the mid-20s, brain development can play a role in youth suicide, as well. Other factors that increase the risk of youth include substance abuse, trauma, bullying and lack of access to mental health care, among others.
Zuteck advises parents to keep an eye out for any changes in their child’s behavior. If he or she is withdrawing, giving away belongings or making statements like, “I wish I wasn’t here anymore,” or, “The world would be better off without me,” he or she could be contemplating suicide.
Don’t ignore the signs, Zuteck suggests. Talk, talk and talk some more. Begin a conversation with your child about mental health and suicide. Share your own experiences (perhaps you’ve seen a therapist in the past or have struggled with your own mental health issues) and consider having your child work with a therapist.
“I think it’s good to have someone unbiased who is there to listen to you, hear your perspective,” she says.
For even more insight and advice on how to help your child who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide, read the full article at MetroParent.com.
With the help of the Flinn Foundation, this organization has been able to expand access to behavioral health treatment to clients suffering from addiction and mental illness.
Everyone deserves a chance to turn their life around, and with the help of Mariners Inn, that’s exactly what those struggling with substance abuse and homelessness receive.
“Mariners Inn is a substance abuse treatment and recovery center for homeless men. That was our original mission,” says David Sampson, the CEO of Mariners Inn. “We have since evolved based on some of the things that are going on now, but our goal is to help those who are struggling with the disease of addiction and homelessness develop some tools and coping mechanisms to re-enter society clean and sober regain their dignity and respect in the community, more importantly with their family and their friends.”
Recently, Mariners Inn took an important step in expanding its services to treat women who are homeless and struggling with addiction, as well. The organization broke ground on a new building in Detroit that will include services for female patients. The $24 million project will also include recovery housing apartments, therapy and job training.
About a decade ago, Mariners Inn turned to the Flinn Foundation for some help with an initiative that focused on the mental health of the people they serve. During studies and assessments, Sampson says, the group discovered that many of those they served had co-occurring disorders, meaning they are dealing with addiction coupled with mental health issues. Mariners Inn wanted to help, so they applied to get a grant to hire a cooccurring disorders therapist to work with the men they serve. They were successful in doing so, and every year since then they have applied for different funding related to mental health issues.
“Flinn Foundation’s support will allow Mariners to expand their residential treatment services for those dealing with addiction,” says Andrea Cole, Flinn Foundation’s executive director and CEO.
Grants were used to secure a psychiatrist to provide additional services to the people that they serve but to also help apply for additional funding.
“They helped us with the seed money to go out and find a psychiatrist to No. 1 assess our current population and No. 2 to help us apply for other funding to third party payers and things of that nature,” he says.
“The other one, which was a very important grant to follow up and follow through on, was a nurse practitioner that dealt with mental health and substance abuse and could also be the right hand or liaison to the current psychiatrist,” he adds.
These initiatives have been a success, Sampson notes, and it would not have been done without the help of the Flinn Foundation,
“That partnership has meant the world to us and to have that connection means that much more, and the reason I speak about that connection is because of our relationship and my relationship really with Andrea Cole, who I think is a dynamic leader. I think her foresight into mental health and helping those agencies who subscribe to treating mental health, I think her work and ambassadorship with them is phenomenal,” he says. “And we wouldn’t be where we are today if it had not been for the support and belief in our mission that Andrea and the Flinn Foundation has in us.”
Each year, the Ethel & James Flinn Foundation provides grants to southeast Michigan organizations who are doing their part to promote mental health awareness, access and understanding. For application information, visit the Flinn Foundation’s grant application information page.
The Ethel and James Flinn Foundation partners with Metro Parent to create a year-long series of articles promoting mental health awareness and understanding. We invite you to read the current article, Practical Ways to Handle Toxic Family.
To follow the series, go to www.metroparent.com. We encourage you to contact us with questions or comments.
The Ethel and James Flinn Foundation partners with Metro Parent to create a year-long series of articles promoting mental health awareness and understanding. We invite you to read the current article, The Connection Between Sleep and Mental Health.
To follow the series, go to www.metroparent.com. We encourage you to contact us with questions or comments.
The Ethel and James Flinn Foundation partners with Metro Parent to create a year-long series of articles promoting mental health awareness and understanding. We invite you to read the current article, 5 Ways to Be a Better Listener — and Why it Matters.
To follow the series, go to www.metroparent.com. We encourage you to contact us with questions or comments.
The Ethel and James Flinn Foundation partners with Metro Parent to create a year-long series of articles promoting mental health awareness and understanding. We invite you to read the current article, Defining Depression.
To follow the series, go to www.metroparent.com. We encourage you to contact us with questions or comments.