Glenn Close promotes charity in St. Louis
By Lisa Watson
Golden Globe, Tony and Emmy winning actress Glenn Close is in St. Louis April 16-17 to raise funds and awareness for her nonprofit organization, which seeks to eliminate the stigma often associated with mental illness.
About one in six people suffer from a mental illness, Close said.
“It’s part of being a human,” she added.
BringChange2Mind, co-founded by Close, is partnered with the Karla Smith Foundation, a local foundation established to provide support for people who have a loved one suffering from mental illness.
The Karla Smith Foundation was formed after Karla Smith, 26, died by suicide. She suffered from bipolar disorder. The foundation, created by her family, also provides support to those grieving after a loved one’s suicide.
“It’s not a cool subject for a lot of people,” Close said. “It makes people uncomfortable.”
BringChange2Mind produced a public service announcement in 2009 featuring Close and her sister, Jessie, who suffers from bipolar disorder. Jessie was not diagnosed with the illness until the age of 45, after her son was also diagnosed with a mental illness.
Close said Jessie was a gifted writer growing up, and was always considered the unpredictable, wild one.
“It didn’t make it any easier” when Jessie was diagnosed, Close said. “There was a question of finding the right medications.”
One message Close hopes to drive home is that a mental illness doesn’t have to stop anyone from living a productive, fulfilling life.
BringChange2Mind uses its website, along with Facebook and Twitter pages, to reach out to people who need support in dealing with a mental illness. After only six months of operation, the Facebook group has 10,000 fans, Close said.
“The idea is, let’s get out and talk about it so people don’t have to feel shame,” Close said.
The goal of the website is to form a community where people can go for support in dealing with their illness. People can write in to the site and receive a response within 48 hours from a volunteer.
“It’s the courage to say, this resonates for me and I want to get help,” said Nancy Evans, executive director of BringChange2Mind.
Organizers learn what each volunteer’s strengths and experiences are, said Theresa Emerson, of BringChange2Mind. That way, they can connect people in need with someone who knows the most about the resources available to help.
“Any other illness, it’s easy to advocate for yourself,” Emerson said. With mental illness, it’s an effort to get up the courage to reach out, and it’s easy to get discouraged, she said.
When volunteers present tangible information and resources that can help, it’s easier to take then next step, Emerson said.
“It gives people a place and a face with mental illness that’s never been there,” said Kevin Smith, of the Karla Smith Foundation, who is Karla’s brother. “It’s a movement that’s unifying people.”
Emily Smith, Kevin’s wife, said it can be isolating when people hear that Karla died of suicide.
“People stop, and they don’t know what to say,” Emily Smith said.
There is no set way to deal with mental illness, and no medication that works for everyone, Emily Smith said. But speaking openly about it can help, she said.
“There are places out there for help, but a lot of people don’t know about them,” Kevin Smith said.
“One of the best ways to treat a mental illness is to have a community,” he said.
Close attended a fundraising gala Friday night at the Four Seasons Hotel. She will throw out the first pitch at the Cardinals/Mets game Saturday afternoon. The organizations sold about 270 group tickets to raise funds for their efforts, Kevin Smith said.