(ROCKWALL, TX – Sept. 8, 2016) Mental Illness is prevalent and affects many families – approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences some type of mental illness in a given year. Serious mental illness costs America $193 billion in lost earnings per year.
To help raise awareness and funding to improve the quality of life for all persons with mental illness, the Donna Ross Memorial Regatta Committee is hosting an event on Lake Ray Hubbard this weekend – Saturday, September 10 and 11, to honor Dr. Rick Lucarelli’s mother, Donna Ross, who died unexpectedly in February of 2011.
Dr. Lucarelli is an emergency medicine resident at the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Woman’s Hospital and founded this event to honor the memory of his mother and raise funds to combat the stigma of mental illness. While not the cause of her death, Donna Ross struggled with mental illness for most of her adult life and it was a major factor in the quality of her life and had a great impact on her friends and family. He believes that one of the major challenges that affected his mother and those close to her, was the secrecy in which she felt she must live regarding her mental illness. Nevertheless, she was brave and steadfast in seeking medical help and provided an excellent and caring home for her children and husband.
“In my mother’s honor, we are embarking to raise awareness of mental illness so that those affected and those close to those affected may live openly and without shame about their disease. It is our hope that this will help individuals seek treatment earlier, and will help foster an environment of support that will profoundly improve these individuals’ lives,” said Dr. Lucarelli.
Please join us in this goal by “Racing to Raise Mental Health Awareness” in a series of races on Lake Ray Hubbard on Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11. The races will be followed by a post-party on Saturday at Three Sheets Restaurant at the Rockwall Harbor (around 4 pm), and a post-party and awards ceremony on Sunday at Southern Comforts Restaurant at the Rockwall Harbor (around 1:30 pm).
All proceeds of this event will go to the Mental Health Association of Greater Dallas (www.mhadallas.org) to help raise awareness of mental illness in our local community.
Spectators are welcome aboard Seawolf to watch the action for a $30 fee per person (https://fareharbor.com/sailwithscott/items/30931/. Scott Self (sailwithscott.com), owner of Seawolf, will be donating all proceeds to MHA Dallas. from spectators who will depart from Chandler’s Landing Marina at 10:00 am both days, Saturday and Sunday.
Go to donnaross.org for more information. Contact Matt Roberts, President, Mental Health America of Greater Dallas, 214.871.2420 x109, mroberts@mhadallas.org for more information on MHA’s work.
Submitted press release.
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