Organization Formed to Support Mental Health Access For All

Formed by a group of concerned Seacoast area community members whose lives have been touched both directly and indirectly by mental health issues, Mental Health Access For All (MHAFA) is a grassroots organization with big aspirations.

“We want to raise awareness of the issues individuals and families face when seeking mental health care, create opportunities for affordable access, and develop a platform to better connect those in need,” said Founder Tom Peterson. “We want to break through social stigma and lack of financial resources that often complicate a person’s path to wellness.”

One of the group’s first initiatives is to raise money at an inaugural fundraising event on May 9 to support access to services at Seacoast Mental Health Center (SMHC) in Portsmouth and Exeter. At this event, which takes place at the Sheraton Harborside in Portsmouth, New Jersey’s best known club band, The Nerds, will perform in front of an anticipated 300 people.

“We’re very excited about the event and committed to achieving our mission,” said Petersen, who acknowledged his own struggles with mental illness helped spur him to reach out to friends and colleagues. “I saw first-hand the difficulties people face when trying to access mental health services. I knew I wanted to help change that and was fortunate to get great people to help me.”

MHAFA chose SMHC as its beneficiary for its fundraising event. “We wanted to invest in an agency we believed could deliver the most good across many services and quickly arrived at Seacoast Mental Health,” said Board Member Carole Matthews. “We are impressed with the wide range of services it offers and the depth of its collaborations with other agencies…We feel very good about this partnership.”

In sponsoring MHAFA’s fundraising event, Martin Quigley of Quigley Consultancy LLC said they are proud to support their mission to help “provide mental health access for all.” He said he has also pledged his company’s continuing support as a founding sponsor and active Advisory Board Member to the MHAFA.

“We believe in what they are doing,” he said. “It’s important to give back to the community, and so we are committed to working with the group to raise additional monies–even some of our clients are donating, and will be attending the event along with us.”