M712 | ftll

M712

M712 was originally a name that I came up with to be used as a group name for a motorcycle riding club. After researching about the motorcycle club and riding club community I realized that there were already great organizations out there and I didn't feel a need to add to that mix. That left the question of what brought this concept in my mind... Before going there, I should tell you the background of M712. The M is short for Matthew (from the NIV Bible), 7 is the chapter, and 12 the verse which simply reads "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets". This is commonly referenced as "do unto others as you have them do unto you".

And then it finally came to me, I have another passion outside of cancer awareness. Over the past several years I have had the opportunity to be involved with supporting mental health outreach. I received Guardian advocate training while in Central Florida in 2012. This certification allows me to represent someone in a mental health hearing in the state of Florida. I have not utilized this certification but the knowledge gained from the course is invaluable. So many lives are affected by mental illness. The worst part about that is that most of the illnesses go undiagnosed for years. Medical advancement and research has made many mental illnesses treatable but no treatment is available for the person who does not seek help or does not have a support system that alerts them that something is out of character with their actions and there may be a need for additional help. The good news is that there are doctors and groups set up to help but the bad news is that fear of isolation and lack of information causes many people to try to deal with the issue without help. One reason for the misconceptions about mental illnesses is that they are normally not mentioned or reported on by media outlets until the illness is so far out of hand that it has caused a major incident.

While the idea for a riding club has passed, I want to use the desire of many people that love to ride 2 and 3 wheel vehicles as a tool to support this outreach. M712, in partnership with FTLL, will promote 2 group rides(will increase as the organization grows) per year to raise funds for mental health awareness. These funds will go to different organizations that we have verified to be in support of assisting those with mental illnesses and erasing the stigma associated with mental health. For each group ride or activity we will post information about the organization we are sending funds to prior to the ride.

**Donations are not tax deductible