Meet Karen Fitzgerald, a person who desires to make a difference in her community by helping single moms and their children, teens with anxiety and other mental health issues. Karen was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota. Karen, her husband Robert, and their four children are always willing to support the community whenever a need arises.

The trend towards increasing awareness of the need for mental health initiatives is more powerful now with the onset of many children being unable to deal with the pressures of school, society, social media and over-bearing parents. There is a greater need for increased interventions, as well as crisis services and referrals for children and youth who may not otherwise be able to get the help that they need. In an attempt to support these individuals, the Amita Health, Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health now provides a mental health counselor on-site in eleven public schools in Chicago’s northwest suburbs including seven high schools and four middle schools that are funded 100% by philanthropy. Ten parochial schools also benefit from the program.