Portland, ME— NAMI Maine, Wade Millett Memorial Foundation (WMMF) and University of Southern Maine Department of Athletics (USM) are excited to announce their recent partnership that will bring new mental health education and awareness initiatives to the USM athletics department.
The new initiative arose from an ongoing partnership between Wade Millett Memorial Foundation, which was formed to promote positive mental health and suicide prevention in memory of dear friend and USM alumnus Wade Millett, and NAMI Maine, the Maine chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. WMMF hosts a memorial golf tournament every fall, and donates the proceeds to NAMI Maine, with donations currently totaling $30,000 and climbing after the third annual tournament that took place on September 26, 2024.
"As a department we are eager and excited to partner with the Wade Millett Memorial Foundation and NAMI Maine to bring additional resources to University of Southern Maine Department of Athletics staff and its student-athletes," said Interim Director of Athletics Mike Keller. "We're grateful for Wade Millett Memorial Foundation Board Member Ryan Soucie's initiative to reach out and begin this process."
Starting this year the proceeds of that tournament will go toward the new partnership with USM and will be used to provide trainings on mental health, signs and symptoms, positive coping skills and stress management, and building peer to peer support systems. The training programs will be provided to all Huskies' Athletics staff and will be made available to all currently enrolled Southern Maine student-athletes. The funds will also be used to create materials for students and staff highlighting the available mental health resources in the state and on campus.
During the Huskies' 2024-2025 men's & women's basketball seasons (date to be determined), Southern Maine Athletics will host a Wade Millett Night. Both the Wade Millett Foundation and NAMI Maine will be in attendance during the event sharing resources, and honoring the new partnership.
For more information about these organizations go to
www.namimaine.org,
www.wmmemorialfoundation.org, and
www.southernmainehuskies.com.
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NAMI Maine, located in Hallowell, is part of the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
Established in 2022 to honor a beloved friend and colleague who tragically died by suicide, the Wade Millett Memorial Foundation aims to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.
As an NCAA Division III member institution, Huskies' athletics places the highest priority on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the successful completion of all students' academic programs. University of Southern Maine Athletics seeks to establish and maintain an environment in which a student-athlete's athletics activities are conducted as an integral part of the student-athlete's educational experience. USM Athletics achieves this through the five key developmental areas: Academic Achievement, Athletic Performance, Personal Development, Career Development and Service to Community. An NCAA Division III member, University of Southern Maine supports 23 intercollegiate teams (12 women, 11 men) and nearly 500 student-athletes.
