Tom's Hope Inc. - HowYouCanHelp

You can get involved and make a real difference. By getting involved, you can do something that makes a tremendous difference in providing hope to those living with bipolar disorder .

There are many ways to get involved. For example, you can:
	Speak. Help educate people about bipolar disorder and depression by serving as a resource for the media or speaking to groups and organizations.
	Volunteer. You can find links to volunteer resources with Tom's Hope and other organizations by clicking on the volunteer link.
	Donate. No gift is too small. All gifts are tax-deductible.

Those are just a few of the ways that you can help Tom's Hope fulfill its mission. Just remember to do something.

Tom's Hope Speakers By increasing awareness, we can erase the stigma surrounding depression and bipolar disorder, restore dignity to all patients, and help people recognize the signs and symptoms of these illnesses and get appropriate treatment.

Requesting a Speaker

Speakers work locally by visiting community organizations, businesses, church groups, and other organizations, and by talking to the media. We contact speakers and potential interview subjects based on their backgrounds and experiences. By sponsoring a presentation or doing an article, you can:
	Help reduce stigma. Teach students, employees, or co-workers that bipolar disorder is an illness, not a character flaw or sign of weakness.
	Help people help themselves. Familiarize your audience with the symptoms of depression and bipolar disorder and encourage them to seek help for themselves, friends, or family.
	Reduce absenteeism. Clinical depression has become one of the most common illnesses, affecting 1 in 10 working-age adults in the U.S. each year, resulting in a loss of approximately 200 million working days each year (source: International Labour Office, Geneva, October 2000).
	Save a life. In 1997, suicide was the eight leading cause of death in the U.S. and the third leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24. Studies indicate that the most promising way to prevent suicide and suicidal behavior is through the early recognition and treatment of depression and other psychiatric illnesses (source: National Institute of Mental Health).

A speaker may be available to talk to your group about bipolar disorder. Please let us know your needs by calling Tom's Hope.

If you'd like to become a Tom's Hope speaker/educator, applications are being accepted.

Become a Grassroots Leader

Help us expand the Tom's Hope grassroots network! You can help start a new Tom's Hope educational group in your community.
	Contact Tom's Hope to receive our FREE Start-Up Guide.
	Encourage others to help start an education group so that a group is available in every community.
	Tell your health care provider(s) about Tom's Hope..org

As a friend/family member:
	Contact Tom's Hope to receive our FREE Start-Up Guide.
	Support your friend/family member in his/her efforts to be involved with Tom's Hope. Attend activities with your friend/family member.

Help Tom's Hope to grow!

There are so many ways to assist Tom's Hope. Contact us to learn how your interests and valuable skills can be put to work. Examples of ways you might be able to participate include:
	Participate in educational groups
	Refer people in need to Tom's Hope
	Talk about bipolar disorder with family and friends
	Donate financial resources
	Facilitate educational group meetings
	Help with administrative tasks, such as:
	Accounting
	Web development
	Media relations
	Envelope stuffing
	Phone calls to people in need
	Placing posters around town
	Identifying educational resources and speakers
	Fundraising efforts
	Identifying community relationships
	Advocacy efforts

Volunteer

Tom's Hope is seeking to expand its volunteer base. If you are interested in volunteering, we encourage you to periodically check this page for postings of volunteer opportunities:

Volunteer Postings

Take our volunteer survey to let us know your interests and areas of expertise so we can notify you as positions become available that fit your qualifications and interests.

And…

This is a great opportunity for students and retirees who are seeking a volunteer opportunity in a friendly setting with flexible daytime hours. Areas of expertise that we are seeking include:
	Administrative Support A variety of tasks such as coordinating mailings, word processing and data entry into spreadsheets and/or databases. Knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel helpful, but not always required.
	Web Site Maintenance Assistance with uploading Web content. Web site experience required.
	Event Support A variety of tasks that may include volunteering at events with registration, coordination of travel arrangements, and general research. Event coordination experience helpful, but not always required.
	Marketing Communications Research, copywriting, graphic design, and desktop publishing. Experience required.

Other ways you can help Tom's Hope
1.	Help keep the groups going. You can work to get the word out that the groups exist by creating and distributing brochures or posters and calling the local media. You can start a group in your community, help with web sites, organize meetings, develop new programs, etc... Click here to find a group near you.
2.	Support Tom's Hope and raise others' awareness of Tom's Hope by purchasing items from the Tom's Hope store.
3.	Promote education by placing Tom's Hope brochures in doctor's offices, libraries, grocery stores, police stations, counseling centers, churches, and synagogues.
4.	Contact area schools and offer a supply of suicide prevention/hotline cards to hand out, as well as copies of our brochure for young people, Is it Just a Mood...
5.	Organize a local event to raise awareness (and money). Just a few ideas for events are: a community walk-a-thon, a comedy club, a dinner, or a "market day."
6.	Work with your public library to persuade them to add to their collections some of the recommended books on bipolar disorders.
7.	Make a donation in the name of a loved one. For a minimum $25.00 donation, we will send the recipient one of our signature notecards announcing your thoughtful donation. Click here to learn more!
8.	Write letters to the editor of your local paper when you read something that perpetuates the stigma of mental illness.
9.	Ask your local hospital to host a Tom's Hope education group.
10.	Ask your local cable access station and your hospital to use our videotapes to educate others about bipolar disorder.
11.	Ask your local paper and radio station for coverage of bipolar disorder and Tom's Hope.
12.	Donate financially and encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same.
13.	Volunteer your professional services to Tom's Hope.

Do you have more ideas? Let us know.

One of the core missions of Tom's Hope is raising awareness of bipolar disorder .

Knowledge is power.