Pictured above, from left; Sue Diebold, Bill Kimzey, Peter Vogel, Frank Howlett, Nick Kleinert, Bridget Bauer, Mike Gilmore. Not pictured: Julia Verbrugge

On Friday, June 3rd, members of the Ridge High School National Honor Society presented a check in the amount of $1,332 to Bill Kimzey, a member of the Healthy Outcomes Partnership (HOP) of the Somerset Hills YMCA. The money raised will support funding for Mental Health First Aid Training for staff at the Y.

The RHS National Honors Society organized and participated in a fundraiser at the Y in honor of Jack Kimzey, a local youth who was tragically killed at his home in 2006. Next year’s class, the class of 2012, would have been Jack’s graduating class. Jack’s father, Bill Kimzey, an advocate for mental health awareness in Bernards Township, wants Mental Health First Aid Training added to students’ curricula. “Mental Health First Aid Training is imperative for our community; HOP, in partnership with the Y, has certified two instructors at the Y and plans to roll out training to Y staff and the community in the coming months to recognize the warning signs of mental illness before it’s too late. Listening alone is not enough – people need to know how to take action and get help for someone in need.”

Mike Gilmore, an Advanced Placement Physics teacher for 11th and 12th graders at Ridge High School, said, “I would like to see the members of the National Honors Society continue to work with the Y to further develop deep roots and, in particular, to continue fundraising for Mental Health First Aid training. The goal is to support the Y and its initiative to bring awareness of and training for mental health.”

The Ridge National Honor Society welcomes donations, which are tax deductible. Checks can be made payable to the Healthy Outcomes Partnership at the YMCA and mailed to the Somerset Hills YMCA, 140 Mount Airy Road, Basking Ridge, N.J., 07920.

Other ways to donate are listed here.

The Somerset Hills YMCA is a charitable community service organization, rooted in Christian values and dedicated to helping all people grow in spirit, mind and body. We are guided by our core principles of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility.

For more information, please visit www.somersethillsymca.org or call 908-766-7898:

“We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities”