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PARENT GROUP SEEKS PEPSI GRANT TO FIGHT YOUTH DEPRESSION & BIPOLAR

Contact: Susan Resko                                                                        For immediate release

                  847-492-8510

Evanston, IL –December 1, 2010…The The Balanced Mind Foundation (The Balanced Mind Foundation) has launched a campaign for votes to win the Pepsi Refresh Project and a $250,000 grant to aid families and children living with bipolar disorder and depression. The Balanced Mind Foundation has been chosen to compete for the top grant in December, 2010. Winners are decided by total votes cast via Internet and text messages throughout the month.

If selected by popular vote, The Balanced Mind Foundation will use an innovative social media awareness effort to:

• Elevate awareness about bipolar disorder & depression in children.
• Educate parents & the public about the symptoms;
• Explain the best treatment options & ways to reduce teen suicide;
• Expand the number of children receiving treatment;
• Eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness;
• Extend hope to families struggling with mental illnesses.

Supporters can vote for The Balanced Mind Foundation 3 times a day, once from each of the following sources: 

1. Pepsi Refresh website http://www.refresheverything.com/cabfhelpsmorekids

2. Facebook http://tiny.cc/cabfhelpsmorekids

3. Texting.   Text 104174 to PEPSI (73774) (Normal text rates apply).

The Pepsi grant will help The Balanced Mind Foundation to fight youth depression and bipolar disorder, brain disorders that are seldom discussed. In a recent national survey of over 10,000 teens, 11 percent reported being severely impaired by a mood disorder[i] Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens and young adults[ii]. 90% of suicide victims have an underlying psychiatric illness[iii].  If selected in the Pepsi Refresh Project, The Balanced Mind Foundation plans to address this problem head-on through a social media public awareness campaign. 

The The Balanced Mind Foundation was established in 1999.  At the time, no other mental health organization served the needs of these families.  The Balanced Mind Foundation has 32,000 constituents across the country and receives over 500,000 website visits annually.   The Balanced Mind Foundation provides online information and support for parents, via blogs, podcasts, forums, listservs, chats, an eHotline and a vast online library on mood disorders in youth.

Pepsi is giving away $1.3 million every month during 2010 to projects that can 'change the world'.  Grant amounts range from $5000 to $250,000.  www.refresheverything.com.  

Vote for The Balanced Mind Foundation three times a day, every day in December, 2010.  To learn more visit www.bpkids/pepsi.   For more information, contact executive director, Susan Resko at sresko@thebalancedmind.org or at 847 492 8510.

[i] National Survey Confirms that Youth are Disproportionately Affected by Mental Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, September 27, 2010.

[ii] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[iii] Reporting On Suicide: Recommendations for the Media, National Institute of Mental Health.