This powerful episode of CNN’s Mostly Human with Laurie Segall series features BC2M Board Members Meredity Ackley and Nellie Draganic.
BC2M’s fourth PSA delivers powerful stories about living with mental illness from real teens who submitted their personal experiences for inclusion.
Glenn’s sister Jessie, the inspiration behind BC2M’s founding, presents Glenn with the People’s Choice Health Hero Award at the WebMD Gala in New York City.
Starting with a 25-school pilot program in the San Francisco Bay Area, BC2M entered high schools. That fall, UC Berkeley launched a two-year research project on the pilot phase.
Created in partnership with Brandon Marshall’s Project 375, the third PSA raises awareness around the unique challenges that men face when discussing mental health through the voices of four inspirational male figures in professional sports, television, and music.
BC2M U launched a four-year invention and assessment research project at Indiana University to develop an anti-stigma program. The findings from this first of its kind were published in the Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) .
Click the image below or here to be directed to YouTube to view the video. Glenn joined President Obama and other leaders at the White House for the National Conference on Mental Health to discuss reducing stigma and providing help for those living with mental illness.
The second PSA was created in collaboration with Time to Change, England’s largest organization challenging mental health stigma, and features members of the Close family explaining Schizoaffective Disorder.
The American Giving Awards honored Glenn, Jessie, and Calen for their efforts to establish BC2M. This nationally-televised event served as one of the first major acknowledgements of the organization and lifelong work of the Close family.
Grand Central Station was transformed into a set for the first BC2M PSA, which launched the organization. Directed by Ron Howard and complemented by John Mayer’s donated song Say , hundreds of individuals joined the Close Family proudly wearing BC2M t-shirts to spark a conversation about mental health.