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Raechelle Turner earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Washington in 2003. As a Resident Advisor for 2 years, Raechelle was trained professionally by certified therapists and social workers, experiencing firsthand the mental and emotional difficulties students encounter while attending college. Raechelle has also ran numerous political campaigns, worked in local government, and lobbied state legislatures, and for a short time served as Executive Director of a non-profit, at times concentrating on healthcare and insurance.
Raechelle has served on several State Executive Boards, involved in numerous local non-profits, organizations, and charities, and discovered a newfound interest in Fighting Mental Illness after hitting very close to home. She continues working on political campaigns, but serves as Executive Director of Healing Minds after founding it in the summer of 2005.
“Growing up, I always believed in the power of individuals to make a difference, and even now believe we can change the world. A person’s dream in life, whether creating a family, going to college, becoming a lawyer, getting away from an abusive spouse, getting off drugs/alcohol etc, become emotionally and mentally stable again, etc. is a powerful force. The quote that has always fed my ambition is from Eleanor Roosevelt, ‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.’ My aspiration and yearn to help people grew stronger and stronger as each year passed, and in every facet of the world did I find some issue that needed to be addressed. Such an abundance of issues to fight, the question arises where do I put my focus and energy first? In politics and in my local organizations I volunteer at, I can work and fight on many issues, but I feel like Mental Health should take my remaining time. Mental illness is an extremely important yet overshadowed issue, since there doesn’t appear to be many resources available and those that are involve insurmountable financial costs. When are people going to receive fair, quality healthcare without having to jump through numerous hoops? At what cost? Those suffering from a mental illness experience these insane procedures and often do not the have the support of loved ones or strength and energy themselves to tackle these regulations. Some type of action HAS to be taken.
People need to feel a sense of belonging, ownership, a place where their ideas and toil can be appreciated, individualized, and provide confidence. When one suffers from a mental illness, such as depression, all self worth depletes, leaving an individual lonely, melancholy, and completely hopeless.
To assist people in finding their place once again, I felt our non-profit could not only heal those affected, but get them back into the world, where they feel good about themselves once again. Why not have those suffering gain the strength to become the ones fighting for themselves and others?
Apprehension swirled in my mind before starting Healing Minds. Numerous other organizations and non-profits exist in society, independently fighting for the same cause. I often worry that nonprofits are separately striving for the same goal, but overlapping in work, resulting in an inefficient system. I believe to fight a cause, ALL of those working towards the same goal need to come together as a collective entity and take on the battle as one. Separate and distinct groups CAN make steps, but together we can make LEAPS! Ultimately, a cohesive, united team will be change we all wish to see. Therefore Healing Minds was created out of a dream of a parent organization, called Healing Humanity. This world screams with issues of injustices that require healing, attention, and essentially change. We plan selecting various issues of importance and establishing multiple Healing non-profit. It’s about time the world receives a Healing Movement.”
- Raechelle Turner
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