dear readers, i’m blogging about mental health, or the lack thereof.

• if you would like to contribute, please pledge here
• those who wish to contribute to the lack thereof, rest assured that your thank-you notes are in the mail.

No, seriously. I’m participating in Blogathon 2007. Its a yearly event, where bloggers blog for 24 hours continously, every 30 minutes minimum, for charity. I’d like to consider myself a charity, but that’s not an option. :)

This year, it is at Walk On By and my partners are Jinny & Yee Pei and its in memory of the CHiQ, aka Valerie Tay in benefit of the Malaysian Mental Health Association.

the following from Yee Pei with minor changes.

CHiQ
As many of you will know by now, I lost my mentor, and chum, in June this year. I’m still reconstructing my life, cos she was a major part of it, and its taking longer to let go, than I thought.

She loved Cyndi Lauper’s “Walk On By”, and I had a flash of inspiration, when thinking of a title for the blogathon yesterday. This song is so appropriate…

…Make believe
that you don’t see the tears
Just let me grieve
in private ’cause each time I see you
I break down and cry
And walk on by (don’t stop)
And walk on by (don’t stop)…

Malaysian Mental Health Association
MMHA is a non-profit voluntary organisation managed by an elected committee of interested persons and professionals in the community. The association’s objectives includes:
- To promote mental health in the community
- To help raise the standard of treatment, prevention and research in the field of mental health.
- To provide rehabilitative services for the mentally ill.
- To safeguard the interests and welfare of psychiatric patients.
- To support caregivers and family members of mentally ill persons.
In a society where mental healthcare is often neglected, and where mental health patients face stigmatisation and discrimination, the work of an organisation like MMHA is indeed important. We need to realise that mental health is important and to seek help is entirely alright. Furthermore, patients and their family should be aware of avenues to seek help and support when needed, and definitely not be shunned by the very community they live in.
Find out more information about MMHA on their website.

How You Can Help
If you were Val’s friend and will like to say something during the blogathon, please send a copy of your post to us at blogathon07[at]gmail[dot]com. We will post your entry during the course of the blogathon, but it will not be counted as one of the 49 entries (heehee, so we won’t be cheating…). You can also stay online and cheer us on during the course of the blogathon (from Malaysian time, 9pm on 28th July to 9pm 29th July). And of course, a very practical way of supporting us will be to pledge towards our cause.
Please support our cause (or any other blogathon-er’s) by following these 5 easy steps (thanks, Edrei):
1. Go to the Blogathon website.
2. Click on “Want to make a PLEDGE?” and you will come to a list of bloggers and their blogs.
3. Click on the blogger and cause you want to support. In this case, click on “Walk On By” and “Malaysian Mental Health Association” or this link.
4. If you have not signed up, you will have to register before you can pledge. All you need is your name, email address and password for yourself. If you have signed up, you need to log in with your email address and password. Enter the amount you wish to donate and the currency in which you’re donating. If you wish to be anonymous, there is an option for you to do so.
5. Once you continue, you’ll be asked to confirm your amount again.
And you’re done. :D

“Walk On By” is still under construction, but feel free to pop over and drop us a comment or two… Thanks!