Be Here by SD

Be Here by SD Mental Health & Su***de Awareness Advocate / Creating physical reminders to change the stigmas surrounding su***de and mental health one item at a time 🌍✨

Final Remarks of the Advocacy Forum-(Allowing myself to be a little vulnerable with this one)As I settle back into regul...
05/15/2026

Final Remarks of the Advocacy Forum-
(Allowing myself to be a little vulnerable with this one)

As I settle back into regular life and reflect on the past few days, I think of the things that have happened in my life that have led me to the advocacy forum. This mission has been, and always will be, personal to me and the grief that surrounds my community. Su***de Prevention is heavy work and is never easy. But knowing the difference made and the impact of our voices will forever be the reason I continue to advocate 🫂

Life has been heavy and overwhelming for me lately, and it was hard not to carry that with me to the advocacy forum. But being in a room and on the hill, surrounded by such passionate advocates, turning their pain into purpose, reminds me exactly why I advocate with AFSP; and that's to help save lives and bring hope to those affected by su***de. AFSP has provided such a beautiful community for me, both locally and nationally. Sharing my story, using my voice, and knowing I'm not alone in this mission has been such a healing experience ❤️‍🩹

Being able to advocate for livesaving bills reminds me that people truly do have the power to make change in a time where we feel very powerless. Returning to Capitol Hill as SD's Advocacy Ambassador was such an honor, and I look forward to going home and continuing to connect with these legislators at state and federal levels.

I am also coming home with a lot of motivation, something I've been struggling to find lately. So I thank AFSP's Advocacy Forum for bringing that spark back, for reminding me why I advocate, and for the opportunity to bring ideas for action back to my community. I am not sure what the next year has in store for my advocacy and I, but I know that I am happy to Be Here for it🌎🩵

Day 3- CAPITOL HILL DAY RECAP !!Just as last time, what a POWERFUL day spent on the hill! To be surrounded by such dedic...
05/13/2026

Day 3- CAPITOL HILL DAY RECAP !!
Just as last time, what a POWERFUL day spent on the hill! To be surrounded by such dedicated advocates who have turned their pain into purpose is such an unexplainable feeling. Though I don't know all the reasons the advocates were here, I do know how impactful su***de is and how important this advocacy work is❤️‍🩹

We were advocating for 3 different bills this year, one supporting servicemembers transition to reduce veteran su***de, the STOP su***de act that supported su***de-specific, evidence-based stabilization care, and a barriers to su***de act which created su***de-deterrent barriers to areas such as buildings, bridges, railroads, etc.

Our 3 meetings, Thune, Rounds, and Johnson went great and we felt so supported in our mission and the bills we were advocating for 🩵💜 These legislators have so many different meetings throughout their day, listen to so many different asks, but advocating for a cause that impacts so many individuals lives is again, an unexplainable feeling. I wish I could somehow share the energy that was felt on Capitol Hill, but know this energy is exactly why I advocate for su***de prevention 🫂🤍

AFSP Advocacy Forum Day 1/2 Recap!It is such an honor to be returning to D.C. to represent South Dakota in our mission t...
05/13/2026

AFSP Advocacy Forum Day 1/2 Recap!
It is such an honor to be returning to D.C. to represent South Dakota in our mission to advocate for su***de prevention 💜🩵
The first part of the advocacy forum is learning about the bills we are advocating for on Capitol Hill and preparing us for our legislative meetings. One of the bills we are advocating for is related to supporting stabilization centers, which I was EXTREMELY excited to advocate on having that 1st hand experience as an employee at a crisis center.
I am also excited to be returning to the hill as the advocacy ambassador and getting to be the connection to these legislators at state and federal levels. There is a lot of passion and dedication that has led me to being an ambassador, and I can't wait to bring that to Capitol Hill! 🏛
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GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY ‼️We are giving away $150 valued basket for Mental Health Awareness Month! 💚 We are excited t...
05/08/2026

GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY ‼️
We are giving away $150 valued basket for Mental Health Awareness Month! 💚 We are excited to include various local businesses along with the custom-made Be Here merch in this giveaway 🥳

HOW TO ENTER:
💚Follow Be Here on Instagram or Facebook
💚Tag 2 friends you think would love to support Be Here's mission!
💚Share this post (some accounts are private, so please try to tag our account as well).
✨️Bonus entry: order a custom item in the month of May for an extra entry 👀

WHAT IS INCLUDED:
💚A $25 credit towards a custom order, a Black Hills Be Here tote bag, and some other Be Here swag
💚 Forever flowers by
💚A 'Bee-Balanced' candle from Pixie Potions
💚Clay face mask and a calm down essential oil roller from Kacey's Natural Creations
💚A Be Here mug by
💚A guided wellness journal, pens, and stress relief tea

As we continue to grow, we hope to engage more supporters for Be Here as well as the local businesses/ artists in this giveaway! Not your type of basket? Enter anyways and gift to someone who may need a little reminder that they matter🤍

The winner will be announced May 31st! ✨️

As always, thank you for being here, and I hope you all know how much your support means to Be Here 🌎🩵

Happy Mental Health Awareness Month! 💚We got to start this month with the amazing opportunity to speak to some of the st...
05/02/2026

Happy Mental Health Awareness Month! 💚
We got to start this month with the amazing opportunity to speak to some of the students of Mitchell High School. We traveled to the classroom to speak about lived experience, Be Here, advocacy, and education of warning signs / protective factors and coping skills!
I am very thankful to kickstart this month by bringing awareness and education to an important age demographic. Big thanks to Ms. O'Connor for inviting me and allowing me to share such vulnerable information with your class. I look forward to more opportunities like this in the future! 🌎🩵
We have a few exciting things planned for Mental Health Awareness Month, so be on the lookout for our next giveaway post👀
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I have a special announcement🥳You are now looking at the AFSP Advocacy Ambassador of South Dakota!! As the 1st advocacy ...
04/28/2026

I have a special announcement🥳
You are now looking at the AFSP Advocacy Ambassador of South Dakota!! As the 1st advocacy ambassador for the SD Chapter, I look forward to building relationships with legislators at both state and federal levels and continuing to advocate for bills that help prevent su***de.
AFSP Advocacy has brought so many opportunities to my life, which I am beyond grateful for. I can't wait to continue to save lives through advocacy and speak out for every life that has been impacted by su***de one way or another. 🩵💜
I return to Washington D.C. for AFSP’S Advocacy Forum this May, and I can't wait to be back on Capitol Hill. I could not be more excited for this opportunity, especially going into it with more experience and a new title 🥳 Please stay tuned for the forum updates as I look forward to sharing them with you all!
If you have any interest in AFSP advocacy or what I will be doing on Capitol Hill, please reach out! As always, thank you for being here and supporting my mission🌎🩵
***deprevention

hello social media! long time no see 🤪As the days are starting to get longer and some of us may be crawling out of our s...
04/16/2026

hello social media! long time no see 🤪
As the days are starting to get longer and some of us may be crawling out of our seasonal depression, I wanted to share some things that I do to prioritize my mental health and self-care! 🧠🩷
I want to make an incredibly important note that these are the things that work for me personally and may not apply to everyone. I am also not a licensed professional and wanted to share this post from a peer-to-peer perspective :)
If you are interested in learning more, please comment below and I'd be happy to reach out!! Do you have a skill you'd love to share with others? Please share in the comments!! 🌎🩵

988 Policy Academy Day 2/2 Recap !Today was spent learning about collaboration, partnerships, and sustainability of cris...
03/12/2026

988 Policy Academy Day 2/2 Recap !
Today was spent learning about collaboration, partnerships, and sustainability of crisis systems. As stated in my first recap, there is SO much that goes into an effective crisis system, and this is a huge project to take on in the Black Hills. But this is why we are prioritizing collaboration and identifying who the "right partners" are so we can focus on the best crisis care for our relatives and individuals of the He Sapa 🌲
I am taking home a lot with me:
Lots of education and a new realm of advocacy
Lots of frustrations and acceptance of barriers
And lots of momentum and passion as we focus on implementing this project into the community
As some people might know, Im the type of person to not accept things just because, "that's how it is." I am the type of person who dedicates themselves to finding that change, and I hope I can bring this trait to this team and project.
I look forward to seeing what the Crisis Response Collaboration of the He Sapa can do for our community, even through all the challenges and triumphs we will face. I am so thankful for this opportunity and the 988 Crisis Response Policy Academy for seeing potential in our team and allowing us to be here. Thank you to everyone and everything that has gotten me here today 🩵💜

988 Policy Academy Day 1/2 Recap!I've been blessed with the opportunity of joining the He Sapa team as they take on the ...
03/10/2026

988 Policy Academy Day 1/2 Recap!
I've been blessed with the opportunity of joining the He Sapa team as they take on the crisis response system in the Black Hills. We just finished up the first day of the 988 Crisis Systems Design Policy Academy here in Milwaukee, WI, and what a day of learning it was.
There is a LOT that goes into building an effective crisis system and how to help individuals navigate that system. In the Black Hills, there are many gaps, barriers, and challenges we must face to improve the response system and what we are learning how to do here at the academy. There is still a lot to learn tomorrow, but I have already learned so much information that I did not know prior.
I have a lot of hope in the He Sapa team and am surrounded by very passionate and compassionate people🤍 It seems very overwhelming right now, but I can't wait to see the progress this team will make🌎💙

#988

I wanted to take a second to explain our priority in our donations to the community. When some might question how the do...
03/06/2026

I wanted to take a second to explain our priority in our donations to the community. When some might question how the donations are related to mental health, it all comes down to this hierarchy of needs.
Every human has basic needs that need to be fulfilled to reach their "full-potential." As you can see from this pyramid, there are many needs for this to happen.
Our mission is to help remind individuals to Be Here, no matter what their reason is. If giving resource cards and hygiene products is how we remind them of hope and that there are resources for them, then we are succeeding at our mission. 🌎🫂
So yes, donating basic needs IS supporting mental health. Donating to shelters IS supporting the residents' mental health. Though we still prioritize local mental health resources, these basic needs help people achieve their full potential; and believing in the potential that things DO get better will forever be a reason to Be Here.
Thank you for supporting our community's mental health🤍 If you ever had any questions on how we chose our donations, I'd love to answer!
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What a successful Advocacy Action Day!This week, I attended AFSPs Advocacy Action Day with the SD Chapter, and what a po...
02/19/2026

What a successful Advocacy Action Day!
This week, I attended AFSPs Advocacy Action Day with the SD Chapter, and what a powerful day that was. I am so honored to be surrounded by such passionate advocates as we try to make a difference with su***de prevention in South Dakota 🩵💜
This year, we asked for legislative action towards reliable funding for 988 and HB 1250, which involves prioritizing community mental health providers and resources for state funding. If you are ever interested in getting involved with advocacy or AFSP, please reach out!
I am so grateful for AFSP and the opportunity to speak with legislators who are able to make a difference regarding this health crisis in SD. It is such a powerful feeling to be shaking hands with some of the most influential people in our state, all thanks to AFSP Advocacy 🤝

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