Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you well and thriving and enjoying the springtime.

Our “Spring into Transitions” 2024 event, held at Burlingame High School, was a significant gathering aimed at empowering San Mateo County’s youth during challenging transitional phases. I’d like to thank our incredible panel of experts from StarVista, including Taylor Coutts, Nancy Quiggle, Zariah Mekile, and Yvette Morales, emcee Christie James from iHeart Radio, and keynote speaker Chad Slife from San Mateo County Office of Education, who discussed crucial topics such as identity, mental health, and emotional support for young adults. Special thanks to our incredible partners at SolMateo for their tremendous volunteer effort with promoting mental health and by “shining light on mental health” in our community. A video recording of the panel is also available here. The interactive session fostered open conversations and highlighted the importance of mental health and wellness for teens. You can read the recap blog post here.

I’d like to thank the San Mateo Daily Journal for capturing our “Spring into Transitions” event and our collective effort to guide teens through their transitions, emphasizing resilience, transformation, and the power of collaboration for positive impact. You can read the article here.

We are less than a month away from Mental Health Matters 2024, a transformative community event dedicated to promoting health and mental health wellness during Mental Health Awareness Month. On May 18, 2024, from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at Ryder Park in San Mateo, San Mateo PAL, StarVista, and Stride for Awareness invite you to a day filled with activities and education. Kickstart the day with our 5K Run/Walk, either on your own or with a team. Then, join us at our Wellness Fair featuring community exhibitors, self-care activities, food trucks, yoga sessions, guest speakers, live DJ music, and more.

As a thank you for your support of StarVista, I’d like to extend a 20% discount on the 5K Run/Walk to you and your friends and family this month. Use the promo code CEOapril to get the discount. I hope to see you there! Click here to register.

And finally, I am thrilled to announce our Crisis Center program officially passed our accreditation and is, once again, officially an AAS (American Association of Suicidology) accredited crisis team. This accreditation reaffirms that our Crisis Center operates within the nationally recognized standards established by the AAS. We are proud to be one of fewer than 130 agencies across the country to meet these rigorous standards. We will be sharing more information in the coming weeks about this exciting update!

Warm regards,
Sara Larios Mitchell, Ph.D., MACP
CEO