Breaking the Silence: A history of putting mental health education in the spotlight

A long-time board member, current board chair and active volunteer for Community Alliance, Kathy Gerber has had a profound impact on shaping Breaking the Silence into one of the region’s largest community education events advancing mental health awareness. As our current Breaking the Silence event chair, one of her most cherished memories of the event was the time she helped actor Sean Astin, known for his starring roles in Rudy and Lord of the Rings, prepare for his 2022 appearance in Omaha.

That night, Astin shared his personal journey and the story of supporting his mother, actress Patty Duke, as she experienced bipolar disorder and shared his own personal journey.

“The speakers are always very informative and very emotional,” Kathy said. “Their personal stories touch people.”

Aileen Brady, our CEO, notes that Kathy’s efforts have significantly broadened the number of people who support our mental health services — Breaking the Silence now welcomes more than 650 attendees each year. 

Now in its 29th year, Breaking the Silence will feature Emmy Award-winning meteorologist and mental health advocate Ginger Zee on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at the Holland Performing Arts Center. As the first female chief meteorologist at a major news network and cast member of Good Morning America on ABC News, Zee has covered significant weather events from Hurricane Katrina to major wildfires and tornadoes across the United States. 

Beyond a successful television career lies a resilient person who is using her message of healing and hope to inspire audiences across the country. Reserve your tickets to hear Ginger’s poignant story of weathering the storms of life at this year’s Breaking the Silence. 

Setting the foundation

Breaking the Silence’s inaugural speaker in 1997 was American actress Mariette Hartley, known for roles in the films Ride the High Country and Marnie as well as the television Western series Gunsmoke. Hartley was a founder of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and spoke publicly about her experiences with bipolar disorder. She wrote openly about mental health in her 1990 autobiography Breaking the Silence, for which our event is named.

The event resonated with the community and quickly took off. In its third year, Breaking the Silence featured former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who championed mental health during her time in public service. In its fifth year, Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher was the guest speaker. Since then, speakers have included figure skater Dorothy Hamill, actresses Patty Duke and Mayim Bialik, and professional baseball player Darryl Strawberry.

“Breaking the Silence has grown to be an important fundraiser and friendraiser for Community Alliance, and those funds are important to help keep our programs strong,” Kathy said.

A key focus of Breaking the Silence is providing community education and awareness about mental health and substance use disorders, which is why we invite nationally recognized celebrities — actors, authors, athletes, singers, journalists and more — who have lived experience with or knowledge of mental health or are an advocate for a loved one.

“We want to continue to educate our community about mental health and substance use challenges, because they impact nearly every family,” Aileen said. “The opportunity to meet someone who has celebrity status might draw some people in, but then they’ll learn a lot about mental health and substance use while they’re here. That has always been a hallmark of Breaking the Silence.”

To deliver on the mission of providing community education, Kathy and the planning committee she leads are intentional in their work to include a diverse mix of sponsors to ensure families, friends, coworkers, behavioral health professionals, elected officials and philanthropic leaders join in discussion about mental health. 

“Event sponsors get the opportunity to bring their friends and colleagues — anyone who they want to share these messages with,” she said.

Breaking the Silence guest speakers often form a close connection to our organization. One of Aileen’s favorite memories is from the 2006 event, which marked our 25th anniversary. Breaking the Silence featured a roundtable discussion with Patty Duke, singer-songwriter Judy Collins and actress Kathy Cronkite, daughter of the late CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite.

“That was a special night,” Aileen said. “It felt like we were listening in on a kitchen table conversation. The three of them bonded and got along so well.”

Supporting community needs

Proceeds from Breaking the Silence directly support the treatment, rehabilitation and support services that help make recovery a reality for those in our community who have mental health and substance use disorders.

This year, as part of our new Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) status in Nebraska, we’ve established a dedicated crisis line and mobile crisis team to meet our community’s needs. These services fill a need for crisis services that can be activated without calling emergency services.

Services like these are made possible through the continued support of Breaking the Silence.

“Breaking the Silence is an essential part of sustaining and creating new services that meet the needs of our community,” Aileen said.

Learn more about becoming a sponsor.