The Roanoker - January/February 2019 - 16

Putting Mental Health on the Map
Mental Health America's new executive director has big plans for the 'tiny but
mighty' nonprofit.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANNIE HARVEY

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Here's what Mental Health America of Roanoke Valley does:
Provide free mental health assessments, treatments and
medications for uninsured populations.
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Offer a weekly after-school program and oneweek summer camp, in three age levels, to schoolage children who have been impacted by domestic
violence.
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Train law enforcement, first responders and clergy
members in crisis intervention training techniques.
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Offer Mental Health First Aid, a program that
teaches anyone to recognize signs of mental illness
and substance abuse, modeled after CPR training.
All that with two full-time employees, two part-time
employees and about two dozen volunteers.
"I will say we are the little nonprofit that could," Harvey
says. "We are tiny but mighty."
To Harvey, the first step in MHA-RV's new journey must
be to increase its bottom line.
"I have so many ideas and so many wants. In order to fulfill
them and to do justice by the programs, we have to get the
funding in place."
After that, expect Mental Health America Roanoke Valley's
impact to only grow. Harvey plans to do whatever it takes to
make it so.
"There is such a critical need for this right now," she says.
"This is so important, so vital for our community." I
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-CHRISTINA NIFONG
TheRoanoker.com

BOHEMIAN ROBOT PHOTOGRAPHY

NNIE HARVEY STEPPED TO THE
LECTERN for Mental Health America of
Roanoke Valley's inaugural fall fundraising
luncheon.
"I'd like to tell you a little bit more about our programs,"
she opened to her audience of 150 influential guests dining
on quinoa and chocolate truffles.
"Stop. Stop. Stop." A voice interrupted her from ... perhaps
outside in the hallway?
"Not now. Eyes down. Eyes down."
Diners peered around the Patrick Henry Hotel Ballroom,
confused, a little panicked.
Harvey had set down her microphone, her voice replaced
by several others that were just not making sense.
Two to three tense moments later, Harvey's address
continued: "And that's a little about what we've been doing
for the last several months."
Harvey had just given everyone in the room temporary
schizophrenia.
Because she could think of no better way to do her job:
raising awareness of mental illness.
"I hope that you were frustrated," she explained her exercise.
"I hope it made you angry and you wanted to walk out.
"Imagine if you felt like that all day, every day."
Harvey was hired as executive director of MHA-RV in
May 2018, after years at well-known nonprofits like Planned
Parenthood and The American Red Cross. In that time,

she's made some bold moves
(partnering with a doctoral
c andidate to assess the
effectiveness of one of MHARV's most popular programs),
executed some big changes
(expanding and retooling
services to children touched
by domestic violence) - and
ruffled a few feathers.
Her goal: Do whatever it
takes to make MHA-RV 's
programs as effective and farreaching as possible.
"Mental Health America
is very well-known within the
mental health community,"
Harvey explains from her
downtown office, sunlight
streaming across the common
room's work table. "It is not
well known outside that realm.
We must change that."

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The Roanoker - January/February 2019

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