Why is the Bert Nash Center important to you? – Ashley McCaskill & Steve Rausch

We started working with Bert Nash on their marketing materials while I was a designer at Design Brilliance. I was asked to re-brand their Discover Bert Nash program, so I went to the center to participate in a tour. Although I grew up in Lawrence, I’d never set foot in the building.

The tour inspired me to make sure that more people in Lawrence are aware of where the center is and all the different kinds of help Bert Nash provides. Taking your first steps inside the doors, even if just for a tour, breaks down a huge barrier to getting help and helping other people recognize this amazing resource we are so lucky to have.

Why is it important to you to support the Center financially?

Our picture of the perfect community is one in which no one is forgotten and everyone has equal access to health, happiness, and opportunities.  If today we have resources to give back to our community, whether that be money, time, or expertise, we believe it’s our responsibility to do that. If the day comes when we are in need, we hope that we will have helped build a community that can catch us when we fall, and that our neighbors who have resources to share will be giving back.

There are a lot of wonderful organizations in Lawrence, and I know we all wish we could give every nonprofit all the resources they need. Steve and I chose a handful of organizations who are doing work that aligns with our values and working on the issuesabout which we are passionate. 

We support Bert Nash financially because we have seen first-hand the impact they have on people suffering with mental health challenges today, and we recognize their efforts to continue to build evidence-based services and programs to support the ever-changing needs of our community.

What would you say to others about why they should support the Bert Nash Center, especially during a pandemic? 

I don’t know anyone whose life has not been affected by a mental health challenge of some kind.

The older I get, the more I learn that so many families have kept histories of mental health struggles a secret because of the stigma attached to someone being less than perfectly happy and “sane”. These histories would have allowed younger generations to recognize their own trauma, symptoms, and challenges. This stigma is ruining, and literally ending, lives. It is so very important that we all learn to recognize that our mental health is as unique and fluid as our physical health and that resources like Bert Nash are as necessary to the health of our community as primary care doctors and emergency rooms.