As Mental Health Awareness Month shines a national spotlight on the importance of emotional wellbeing, Invest in Others is proud to recognize the ongoing impact of NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore, a 2021 Grants for Good recipient supported through the generosity of Steve Spurrier of Old Orchard Wealth Solutions.
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Month theme, “More Good Days, Together,” highlights the power of connection, education, and community support in helping individuals navigate mental health challenges, values that are deeply embedded in NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore’s mission and work every day.
Since receiving its Grants for Good award in 2021, NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore has significantly expanded its reach, strengthening mental health education programs for young people, families, educators, and communities across the region. The grant helped support the organization’s youth-focused efforts through NAMI Ending the Silence (ETS), a program that brings lived-experience mental health presentations into schools and community spaces to help students and adults recognize the signs of mental health conditions and seek support early.
As demand for youth mental health resources has continued to rise, so has the organization’s impact. In fiscal year 2025 alone, NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore reached 1,942 individuals through Ending the Silence and an additional 4,625 students through its #IWillListen social emotional learning initiatives. Across all of its programs, support groups, and community presentations, the organization delivered more than 18,000 touchpoints this year, each one representing an opportunity for education, connection, or support.
“Connection and community support are essential to mental wellness,” said Kerry Graves, Executive Director of NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore. “Through programs like Ending the Silence and Mighty Monsters, we are helping normalize conversations around mental health early, reduce stigma, and ensure more individuals know they are not alone.”
Since 2021, the organization has also expanded its work to meet emerging needs across the community through peer-led support groups, workplace mental health trainings, anti-stigma education, family programs, and community conversations focused on topics including LGBTQIA+ mental health, substance use, and healing-centered care.
One of the organization’s most exciting recent initiatives is Mighty Monsters, a youth mental health program designed for children in first through third grade. Using interactive lessons and story-based learning, the initiative helps children develop emotional vocabulary, coping skills, and confidence in expressing their feelings. In its first year alone, Mighty Monsters reached 786 children across schools, community centers, and summer programs.
“Mighty Monsters has been a valuable support in addressing many of the mental health-related challenges we see in our school,” shared one school partner. “The program has helped students build a stronger emotional vocabulary, making it easier for them to identify and express how they’re feeling instead of acting out.”
NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore’s growth has also included the opening of a permanent home at The Factory in West Baltimore in 2025, creating a dedicated hub for support groups, educational programming, and mental health resources. The organization has additionally expanded services into Carroll County, helping increase access to mental health support in more rural and underserved communities.
As Mental Health Awareness Month reminds us of the importance of compassion, understanding, and support, organizations like NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore demonstrate the meaningful impact community-based mental health programs can have. Through the support of financial advisors and partners like Steve Spurrier and Old Orchard Wealth Solutions, Invest in Others continues to help nonprofits expand critical services and create lasting change in the communities they serve.
At the heart of what I do is a deep commitment to people – getting to know them, understanding their story, and offering strategies that align with their goals.
Stephen M. Spurrier founded Old Orchard Wealth Solutions in 2020 after a successful 15-year partnership building a financial services firm in Towson, MD.
In 2007, his volunteer work as a board and committee member was acknowledged by the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation and Investment News for its positive impact on the community.
Stephen supports mental health advocacy through NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and is involved with Mammojam, a nonprofit organization that promotes breast cancer awareness. Mammojam has featured the band Roses & Rust at its events, a local group in which Stephen has performed as a percussionist.
