LiveJournal, dear LiveJournal.

Many moons ago, when I was a young college student dealing with life and all the bizarre things that come along for the ride, you gave me a home. You gave me an outlet to vent my frustrations, a portal to make friends, a place to share my secrets as well as my to-do lists. You gave me a home, if you will. An online home that, in my darkest funks, was at times more desirable than my off line home.

I’ve since moved on to professional blogging, trading in my anonymous voice for one that let’s readers know exactly who I am, but I still hold you and the friends I made thanks to you so very dear to my heart.

And now, sweet LiveJournal, we meet again. In honor of Mental Health Month, you’ve teamed up with one of my favorite mental health advocacy organizations, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. You’re donating the proceeds of the LiveJournal “Emerging Sun” virtual gifts sold in May to the DBSA. You say it’s because you value this year’s Mental Health Month theme of “social connectedness,” but we both know the true reason.

It’s because you rock.

Because I love you, LiveJournal – because you helped me so much in the past – I will now help you. I will let all Mental Health Notes readers know that, if they use LiveJournal, they should purchase one of the “Emerging Sun” virtual gifts before May is over. I will let them know that the gift is ridiculously cheap – just $1.99.

I will let them know that they, too, can rock.

Thank you, precious LiveJournal, for all that you do.

Image: Newscom

Ken Jensen is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

LiveJournal Donates Virtual Gift Proceeds To The Depression And Bipolar Support Alliance

Oh, snap!

Thanks to Newscom, I now have access to a delicious cornucopia of Wentworth Miller pictures I can use here at Mental Health Notes – legally. Good thing, too, because I have some equally delicious – and inspiring – Wenti-related news.

I know, I know – you’re probably feeling as suspicious about my motives as my lovely imaginary boyfriend over there –> looks right now, but hear me out.

Last night, while perusing through some of my usual Wenti-related haunts innocently browsing the Internet, I found this Web site: Wentworth Miller Fans for Charity. Wentworth? Fellow fans? Charity? It was a smorgasbord of things I’m always eager to learn more about.

So, I researched the site and discovered that a group of fans got together to encourage other fans to raise money for UNICEF in Wentworth Miller’s name. While Went is excited about the mission and has agreed to allow the site to use his name and likeness for its purpose (as well as make his own donation of $5,000 to the charity), both he and the Web site make it clear that he is in no way actively involved in the running of the site (the site owners have that under control), nor is he actually the one collecting the money (UNICEF is handling that).

Yeah, that’s fine by me.

This particular UNICEF-donation opportunity presented itself at a great time. I have a little extra cash to share, UNICEF has the Humane Charity Seal of Approval, and, hello, it’s in Wenti’s name.

But what does this have to do with mental health? I’m all for helping people, whether it’s mental health-related or not, but I wondered if my future husband was actually having a hand in helping mental health, too.

Turns out, he is.

You see, not only does UNICEF strive to help in areas such as child survival, protection, and development, education and gender equality, life skills, and nutrition (and let’s face it, all of that is related to the health of your brain and your mind), but UNICEF also works to address mental health needs in emergencies, mental health promotion in skills-based education, and evaluation studies of psychosocial projects.

Wentworth Miller has quite the effect on my own personal mental health, but I’m even more ecstatic knowing he supports a charity that, in addition to physical health, also focuses on mental health. Seriously. Little cartoon hearts are shooting out of my eyeballs right now.

If you’d like to make a donation to UNICEF through Wentworth Miller Fans for Charity, the project is running until June 30, 2008. Head on over for donation details and give what you can to help the total health and well-being of our world’s children.

Wentworth Miller and UNICEF images courtesy of Newscom.

Post from: Blisstree

Wentworth Miller Fans Pull Together For UNICEF