MILWAUKEE — Pro Football Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler hosted the “Leap Into Wellness” event at the Baird Center in downtown Milwaukee on Saturday night.
It was a mental health summit for young people, sponsored by Butler and an array of Wisconsin businesses such as Aurora Health Care, Marcus Theatres and Horicon Bank.
Butler said he wants to spread the word to young people that there is no shame in asking for help when they are in crisis.
“Everyone is tough when the lights are off, when you leave the stadium or you’re the same player or you’re the same person, what’s missing is this conversation to talk about it,” said Butler.
Butler said that despite challenges he faced as a kid, he always was focused on the future. He said today’s youth needs to listen to their mentors and make a plan.
“This is what my mom told me,” he said. “She told me this when I was eight years old. Be a leader, not a follower, but if you are going to follow, choose the right leaders. Your teachers, your parents, your grandparents, police, firemen, first responders, military. All those people can teach you how to deal with negative thoughts.”
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman was in attendance. He said he believes leaders and role models need to be all hands on deck.
“It is important to us to listen to our youth, to understand that they are in need, and that we are there to support them, to walk with them,” Norman said. “To be able to support them through these challenges and to help for healthy healing habits and be able to be that supportive group out there.”
Horicon Bank was a there to help educate the youth on healthy financial decisions. The bank was advising youth about their financial futures.
Becki Schimpf is a marketing specialist for the bank and said good financial choices also lead to a healthy lifestyle.
“If you don’t have the financial stability that can lead to mental anguish so it’s a good fit, it’s good for financial wellness and mental wellness,” Schimpf said. “It kind of goes hand in hand.”
It’s a mindset Ashanti Hamilton shares. He’s the director of Community Wellness and Safety, formerly known as Milwaukee’s Office of Violence Prevention. He said it takes a village to tackle all the issues young people are dealing with today.
“We want everyone to understand that it takes a community to build healthy children and I think that there is a role in the attention that LeRoy is trying to bring to this is that everybody can play a role in helping youth develop,” said Hamilton.
It’s a challenge that Butler takes on as he strives to set an example for kids through his own actions.
“So I always tell them how I deal with some of the negative things over the years, how I get therapy, how I call my friends to do a lot of talking and at the end of the day, I try to make sure I don’t hurt somebody else or myself. After that, everything else can be dealt with,” said Butler.
It’s a message Butler hopes the mental health summit will launch, as he helps kids deal with life’s challenges and plan for their futures.