“You go through struggles, through adversity, and you come out stronger.”

That is one of the many memorable lessons shared at our 27th annual Breaking the Silence by the truly inspiring Doris Kearns Goodwin.

From Abraham Lincoln to Teddy Roosevelt to FDR to Lyndon Johnson, the stories of some of our most impactful U.S. presidents would be incomplete without recognizing and reflecting on the personal challenges they faced before, during and after their presidencies.

Our sincere thanks to Doris for sharing those stories, and her own, during a record-breaking night for Community Alliance. More than 700 attendees joined us at the Holland Center for a wonderful evening, highlighted by a captivating conversation between our guest speaker and moderator Stuart Chittenden (Lives Radio Show & Podcast). Earlier in the day, Doris visited our Leavenworth location to spend time and share insights with individuals currently participating in Community Alliance’s services.

Doris drew upon her fascinating presidential scholarship to humanize our country’s most famous leaders, sharing details about their lives all of us can relate to. The resounding message: a person can struggle, can endure profound adversity, and emerge stronger in their recovery.

Imagine, then, if everyone experiencing a mental health challenge could access the support and personalized services they need to achieve their unique potential. That’s what we work toward each and every day at Community Alliance and what Breaking the Silence supports.

Over the years, we have welcomed acclaimed actors, athletes, singers, authors and more to share their stories and experiences with us during our annual educational event. A consistent theme is that mental health does not pick or choose. It impacts us all. And if we can better understand the lived experience of those whose achievements we most admire, perhaps we can better understand and empathize with the people who may be struggling around us and appreciate how they also enrich our lives.

As Doris shared, real change — historic change — comes when movements form to propel that change forward. We remain grateful at Community Alliance for all of the supporters, partners, staff, volunteers, families and leaders joining us in our movement to center mental health in our community.