GENEVA – Kelly and Alan Krause were inspired by the promotion of May as National Mental Health Awareness Month, and through their separate businesses, donated $1,800 to the Geneva Mental Health Board.
Suzy Shogren, chairwoman of the city’s mental health board, said she shared the message with her trainer, Kelly Krause, one of the owners of Energy Fitness & Well-Being.
“She said, ‘Wait a minute. I want in on that,’” Shogren said, speaking at the July 18 City Council meeting. “She said, ‘Explain further what you’re doing.’”
As part of the mission, the mental health board does education and advocacy, especially during May, to promote the message that “It’s OK not to be OK,” Shogren said.
“We’re all in this together and keep talking and sharing amongst one another because we are each here for one another,” Shogren said.
Kelly said she wanted to promote it at her business, but needed time to think about how to do it.
So the next time Shogren went in to train, she explained that they tie green ribbons and bows around town in May to promote Mental Health.
Kelly asked for some of the green ribbons and bows and decided to offer them to her clients so they can go home and tie it around a tree in their yard, Shogren said.
And because her business, located at 1055 W. Orchard Road, North Aurora, serves the area, it will help spread the message.
Kelly went home and shared her idea with her husband, Alan, who owns Clearwater Capital Partners, a wealth management company.
They created a challenge to match by five times whatever Kelly’s clients donated.
So Kelly presented a check for $300 and Al presented a check for $1,500 to the Geneva Mental Health Board, which they raised in May.
“The donation will be part of our grant funding total in November when the service providers … fill out the grant requests,” Shogren said.
About 14 service providers seek mental health funds to serve their clients, including Ecker Center for Behavioral Health, Elderday, Suicide Prevention Services, TriCity Family Services and Fox Valley Special Recreation Association.
Kelly said her business is not only focused on physical health, but emotional health as well.
“Which is why I call it Energy Fitness + Well-Being,” Kelly said. “I think of it more as a wellness center than I do as a gym. We must take care of our whole being. And Al and I are at a point in our lives where giving back to others is really important and we’re capable of doing that in a variety of ways.”
And since they opened the gym, the couple has taken on a number of charities to support, she said.
“My members have come up with great ways to help and give back,” Kelly said. “We led the effort and they just stepped up and really done wonderful things.”
Al said the firm also created Clearwater Capital Foundation to facilitate charitable donations.
“Every year we also do some different programs and sponsor different organizations,” Al said. “We feel that from the success we have had in our private wealth management firm, that giving back to the community – supporting different needs – is very important, very important to us. This is a small way that we can give back. … We are always looking for good causes to share our success with.”
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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