Kenosha In The News
Family launches foundation in son's name to promote mental health treatment
Kenosha News
Deneen Smith Nov 25, 2019 Updated Nov 26, 2019
On what would have been Clay Davison’s 22nd birthday, his mother stood in front of an audience at Kenosha’s Civil War Museum and spoke about what she hoped would be her son’s legacy.
Clay died in June 2014 when he was 16 years old, taking his own life after a two-year struggle with depression.
Since his death, his mother Felicia Labatore and her family have been devoted to promoting mental health awareness and to preventing suicide. She started by speaking to high school students, then by creating a suicide prevention video program for teens.
Now, with the help of friends, she and her family have created the Clay Davison Legacy Scholarship Fund, aiming to increase the number of mental health workers in Kenosha County by offering scholarships for people pursuing careers in mental health. Donations can be made to the Clay Davison Legacy Scholarship Fund through the Kenosha Community Foundation, which is administering the fund. Donations can be made by mail at the Kenosha Community Foundation/Clay Davison Legacy, 600 52nd St., No. 110, Kenosha, WI 53140 or online kenoshafoundation.org/scholarship-information/the-clay-davison-legacy/.
Read more here.
Kenosha News
Deneen Smith Nov 25, 2019 Updated Nov 26, 2019
On what would have been Clay Davison’s 22nd birthday, his mother stood in front of an audience at Kenosha’s Civil War Museum and spoke about what she hoped would be her son’s legacy.
Clay died in June 2014 when he was 16 years old, taking his own life after a two-year struggle with depression.
Since his death, his mother Felicia Labatore and her family have been devoted to promoting mental health awareness and to preventing suicide. She started by speaking to high school students, then by creating a suicide prevention video program for teens.
Now, with the help of friends, she and her family have created the Clay Davison Legacy Scholarship Fund, aiming to increase the number of mental health workers in Kenosha County by offering scholarships for people pursuing careers in mental health. Donations can be made to the Clay Davison Legacy Scholarship Fund through the Kenosha Community Foundation, which is administering the fund. Donations can be made by mail at the Kenosha Community Foundation/Clay Davison Legacy, 600 52nd St., No. 110, Kenosha, WI 53140 or online kenoshafoundation.org/scholarship-information/the-clay-davison-legacy/.
Read more here.
Overcoming depression, anxiety new Miss Kenosha ready to soar
“Depression and anxiety is something I have been working through and dealing with for a majority of my life,” she said. “I didn’t seek help for a very long time.”
But it was a month before the end of the summer last year that her issues with confidence and “longing to get up and live life” caught up with her.
“I am still struggling with it. It changed me and changed something in me. I thought I was never going to be the same,” she said.
At first, she thought she was unfixable, she said.
She was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ADHD, something she thought was normal for her and that she just had to put a smile on her face and bear.
Read more here: overcoming_depression_anxiety_new_miss_kenosha_ready_to_soar___local_news___kenoshanews.com.pdf
“Depression and anxiety is something I have been working through and dealing with for a majority of my life,” she said. “I didn’t seek help for a very long time.”
But it was a month before the end of the summer last year that her issues with confidence and “longing to get up and live life” caught up with her.
“I am still struggling with it. It changed me and changed something in me. I thought I was never going to be the same,” she said.
At first, she thought she was unfixable, she said.
She was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ADHD, something she thought was normal for her and that she just had to put a smile on her face and bear.
Read more here: overcoming_depression_anxiety_new_miss_kenosha_ready_to_soar___local_news___kenoshanews.com.pdf
WI Statewide Sexual Assault Response Team
Attorney General Brad Schimel convened his Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and appointed a new co-chair and 16 new members. The Attorney General’s SART is comprised of a multidisciplinary group of professionals knowledgeable in the complex issues surrounding sexual assault. Our own NAMI Kenosha County Board member and secretary "Kelly Andrichik" is the head of the Kenosha County SART team and since January 2018.
Read the full press release here.
The state SART team meets in Madison every quarter. As part of the state SART, Kelly participates in 2 teams-
1. Tracking System-to create a tracking system statewide for all sexual assault kits (akin to a UPS tracking system) so that the victim knows where the kit is at all times throughout the reporting process
2. Legislation-to create legislation around how sex assaults are handled and how the evidence is handled accordingly so that we don’t create another backlog of untested sex assault kits.
"As more and more brave men and women come forward to share their traumatizing experiences of sexual assault, I want survivors to know that health care providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, and victims’ services in Wisconsin are working to provide the best care and support possible to survivors,” said Attorney General Schimel. “As a former sensitive crimes prosecutor, I knew when I was elected attorney general that there was more our state could do to create better outcomes for survivors. DOJ and the Sexual Assault Response Team have taken on a large effort to support survivors by improving system-wide response to sexual assault with a trauma- informed, victim-centered approach.”
Attorney General Brad Schimel convened his Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and appointed a new co-chair and 16 new members. The Attorney General’s SART is comprised of a multidisciplinary group of professionals knowledgeable in the complex issues surrounding sexual assault. Our own NAMI Kenosha County Board member and secretary "Kelly Andrichik" is the head of the Kenosha County SART team and since January 2018.
Read the full press release here.
The state SART team meets in Madison every quarter. As part of the state SART, Kelly participates in 2 teams-
1. Tracking System-to create a tracking system statewide for all sexual assault kits (akin to a UPS tracking system) so that the victim knows where the kit is at all times throughout the reporting process
2. Legislation-to create legislation around how sex assaults are handled and how the evidence is handled accordingly so that we don’t create another backlog of untested sex assault kits.
"As more and more brave men and women come forward to share their traumatizing experiences of sexual assault, I want survivors to know that health care providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, and victims’ services in Wisconsin are working to provide the best care and support possible to survivors,” said Attorney General Schimel. “As a former sensitive crimes prosecutor, I knew when I was elected attorney general that there was more our state could do to create better outcomes for survivors. DOJ and the Sexual Assault Response Team have taken on a large effort to support survivors by improving system-wide response to sexual assault with a trauma- informed, victim-centered approach.”
Kenosha City and County commit 1.5 MM to Mental Health Care Facility!
February 24, 2017
The Gateway Mortgage building will be renovated by the city and the county to become an 18 bed adult mental health emergency crisis facility when it opens in 2018. See the full story below.
February 24, 2017
The Gateway Mortgage building will be renovated by the city and the county to become an 18 bed adult mental health emergency crisis facility when it opens in 2018. See the full story below.
Mrs. Wisconsin America winner a Bradford High School graduate
http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/mrs_wisconsin_pageant_winner_a_bardford_high_school_graduate_488609036.php
Published June 30 , Kenosha News
BY TERRY FLORES
tflores@kenoshanews.com
For Tiffany Konecko, the isolation of mental illness can be frightening.
But awareness is empowerment and as the winner of the 2016 Mrs. Wisconsin Pageant, Konecko, formerly of Kenosha now of Mount Pleasant, hopes to give a voice to those who suffer in silence.
“It’s opening the doors for people who have been (suffering),” said Konecko, who won the state-level competition at the regional pageant in Bloomington, Minn. She was crowned by 2015 winner Leana’ C. Grimm of Milwaukee.
Konecko will represent Wisconsin at the Mrs. America Pageant in Las Vegas on Aug. 16. The crown will be passed on by 2015 Mrs. America Madeline Gwin of Alabama.
The Mrs. America pageant celebrates married woman and will also be celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Mental health messageA spokeswoman for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Konecko, 35, is a 1999 graduate of Bradford High School. She believes addressing mental health can help people receive the help they need and prevent deaths due to suicide.“Many times people automatically assume you’re not good enough, that you’re crazy. But even the most successful people have battled mental illness,” said Konecko, citing entertainer Justin Timberlake and Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps among them.
The married mother of two boys, ages 4 and 14 months, said she has been there as well.
First, she was diagnosed with postpartum depression after her first child was born. Then, a year ago, after she gave birth to her second child, anxiety attacks overwhelmed her. She was also diagnosed with adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. “I was constantly having anxiety issues. But there was a feeling that (the medications) I was on were only masking the problem,” she said.
The correct diagnosis was crucial, but so was the medication. She had been on Xanax, as needed and had been on another drug until her doctor recommended Concerta. Prior to that, her anxiety would stop her cold in her tracks. One time, while shopping, she found herself doubled over, stopped in her tracks because of the anxiety. It came out of nowhere, she said. In her late teens and into young adulthood, she also struggled with ADHD.
“I was pretty much told I had a learning disability and no one could do anything about it,” she said.
Konecko believes while she could have continued to suffer in silence, she also wanted to be able to live her life without the bouts of anxiety that held her back. She believes that pageants, such as Mrs. America, give the issue much needed awareness. She said breaking down the isolation and the stigma is important and that there are people who have gone through the same experiences.
Model, fashion bloggerKonecko, a graduate of Marquette University with a degree in broadcast journalism, is a model, fashion blogger and self-described “stay-at-home mom.” She is also the founder of “It's Your Day Foundation,” which sponsors “Princess for a Day” events for girls, with the first event held in Kenosha in December. The foundation works closely with Ronald McDonald House at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee. Konecko was also the 2014 winner of the Mrs.Wisconsin U.S.A. pageant.“I think one of the strongest things for any human to do is to ask for help,” she said. “Having a mental illness doesn’t define who you are. It’s just part of who you are. Hopefully, I can help open the door and inspire people to get the help they need.”
http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/mrs_wisconsin_pageant_winner_a_bardford_high_school_graduate_488609036.php
Published June 30 , Kenosha News
BY TERRY FLORES
tflores@kenoshanews.com
For Tiffany Konecko, the isolation of mental illness can be frightening.
But awareness is empowerment and as the winner of the 2016 Mrs. Wisconsin Pageant, Konecko, formerly of Kenosha now of Mount Pleasant, hopes to give a voice to those who suffer in silence.
“It’s opening the doors for people who have been (suffering),” said Konecko, who won the state-level competition at the regional pageant in Bloomington, Minn. She was crowned by 2015 winner Leana’ C. Grimm of Milwaukee.
Konecko will represent Wisconsin at the Mrs. America Pageant in Las Vegas on Aug. 16. The crown will be passed on by 2015 Mrs. America Madeline Gwin of Alabama.
The Mrs. America pageant celebrates married woman and will also be celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Mental health messageA spokeswoman for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Konecko, 35, is a 1999 graduate of Bradford High School. She believes addressing mental health can help people receive the help they need and prevent deaths due to suicide.“Many times people automatically assume you’re not good enough, that you’re crazy. But even the most successful people have battled mental illness,” said Konecko, citing entertainer Justin Timberlake and Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps among them.
The married mother of two boys, ages 4 and 14 months, said she has been there as well.
First, she was diagnosed with postpartum depression after her first child was born. Then, a year ago, after she gave birth to her second child, anxiety attacks overwhelmed her. She was also diagnosed with adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. “I was constantly having anxiety issues. But there was a feeling that (the medications) I was on were only masking the problem,” she said.
The correct diagnosis was crucial, but so was the medication. She had been on Xanax, as needed and had been on another drug until her doctor recommended Concerta. Prior to that, her anxiety would stop her cold in her tracks. One time, while shopping, she found herself doubled over, stopped in her tracks because of the anxiety. It came out of nowhere, she said. In her late teens and into young adulthood, she also struggled with ADHD.
“I was pretty much told I had a learning disability and no one could do anything about it,” she said.
Konecko believes while she could have continued to suffer in silence, she also wanted to be able to live her life without the bouts of anxiety that held her back. She believes that pageants, such as Mrs. America, give the issue much needed awareness. She said breaking down the isolation and the stigma is important and that there are people who have gone through the same experiences.
Model, fashion bloggerKonecko, a graduate of Marquette University with a degree in broadcast journalism, is a model, fashion blogger and self-described “stay-at-home mom.” She is also the founder of “It's Your Day Foundation,” which sponsors “Princess for a Day” events for girls, with the first event held in Kenosha in December. The foundation works closely with Ronald McDonald House at Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee. Konecko was also the 2014 winner of the Mrs.Wisconsin U.S.A. pageant.“I think one of the strongest things for any human to do is to ask for help,” she said. “Having a mental illness doesn’t define who you are. It’s just part of who you are. Hopefully, I can help open the door and inspire people to get the help they need.”