DBSA-CS Selected to Receive Help in Reaching Local Underserved Communities
By Stephanie Symonette
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Colorado
Springs Chapter (DBSA-CS) is honored to have our project of
reaching more underserved communities selected by the
Leadership Pikes Peak’s Women’s Community Leadership
Initiative (WCLI) class of 2021.
The Women’s Community Leadership Initiative is a program
designed to educate and empower women of modest means
and diverse backgrounds unlock their potential to make a
difference within their community. Part of the WCLI program is
to select projects proposed by local nonprofits who want to
make a lasting impact on our community and who are looking
for a woman’s perspective within their organization.
DBSA-CS knows the unique talents and perspectives that
women can bring to the table, therefore our organization
submitted a project request for assistance in developing a
Public Relations (PR) plan that identifies strategies, tools,
communication opportunities, prospective partnerships, etc.
within underserved communities. These communities include
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), teens,
LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and faith communities.
Historically, our mental health outreach efforts have been
through face-to-face support group contact, however, since the
COVID-19 pandemic, we closed our meeting space and pivoted
to a virtual support group model to maintain essential
connections for mental health support, as the levels of
depression, anxiety, substance abuse, insomnia or other mental
health conditions have increased. Our trained peer facilitators
use their lived recovery experience to assist others in regaining
hope, making the most of their chosen paths to wellness, and
moving forward to achieve their goals.
These current mental health crises are compounded in
our underserved communities by many other prominent
environmental factors such as systemic racism, police
brutality, a divisive and isolating political climate, cultural
stigma, health and educational disparities, the digital divide,
etc. Since more public figures such as Former First Lady
Michelle Obama and Meghan Markel have gone public with their
connections to mental health challenges, the mainstream
awareness keeps building.
DBSA Colorado Springs is delighted that the Women’s
Community Leadership Initiative selected our project so that
we can expand our services into underserved communities with
the mental health support we offer and they deserve.
For more information about DBSA-CS and the free online
support groups we offer, you are invited to visit our website at
www.https://DBSAColoradoSprings.org, our Facebook page at
www.https://Facebook.com/SpringsDBSA, or simply contact our
office at 719-477-1515.
