Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheryl Johnson.
Hi Sheryl , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Hearts 4 Minds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to
transforming mental health care by breaking down stigma, raising
awareness, and connecting individuals to critical resources.
Guided by the belief that every mind matters, Hearts 4 Minds
empowers individuals and families through advocacy, education,
and support to ensure mental health care is accessible, stigma
free, and effective. By bridging gaps in care and building stronger
communities, Hearts 4 Minds is changing the way mental health
is understood, treated, and supported.
Founded after the tragic loss of Alex, the son of founder Sheryl
Johnson, Hearts 4 Minds was born from a deeply personal mission
to prevent other families from experiencing the same loss. Alex’s
struggle with anxiety and depression highlighted the critical
gaps in mental health care and the heavy stigma that keeps
so many from seeking help. Since its inception, Hearts 4 Minds
has worked tirelessly to ensure that mental health resources are
readily available, while promoting compassion, understanding,
and action through meaningful initiatives like the Dragonfly Care
Coordinator program, Murals with Meaning, and educational
workshops.
Hearts 4 Minds addresses pressing mental health challenges
within our communities by creating new windows of opportunity
for our neighbors to thrive. They connect individuals and families to
comprehensive mental health resources, maintain an interactive
online connection platform and collaborate with healthcare
providers to create systems of care, like the innovative Dragonfly
Care Coordinator program. Through programs such as “Murals
with Meaning” and “Messages with Heart,” they creatively engage
communities to raise awareness and reduce stigma, while their
QPR suicide prevention training equips individuals with life-saving
skills. Hearts 4 Minds also partners with schools, sports teams,
and local organizations to deliver mental health workshops and
assemblies, fostering early identification and intervention.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We would love to say we have had an easy time but creating a sustainable, impactful organization takes strategy, flexibility and lots of courage. In the beginning, we simply struggled to have conversations about mental illness and in moments when we thought we couldn’t press on, we realized the resistance reinforced the need to have unapologetic conversations and focus on destigmatization. Finding creative way to encourage conversation and encouraging people to seek help when needed is a marathon! As a grassroots organization funding is often more difficult to obtain and there have been months where we haven’t been certain about the long term future. But, we have committed supporters through grants, donations and other philanthropic endeavors that have enabled us to focus on programming.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The sad reality is that 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 3 youth in the United
States have a mental health disorder. Across our country, suicide
is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 34.
And while we are talking about mental illness more, stigmatization
and a lack of knowledge still pose a barrier and we are still
managing mental illness at a crisis level. It is like treating every
cancer diagnosis at a stage 4 versus a stage 1 when positive
treatment outcomes are more likely.
Perpetuating stigmatizations of mental illness causes real harm.
People with mental illnesses are discriminated against, bullied
or even ostracized by those who simply do not understand. Yet,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said mental
illness is one of the most treatable diseases. In fact, the World
Health Organization has recognized that population level health
interventions and strategies that support wellness promotion,
including the implementation of educational interventions for the
life-long management of mental health, is key to the future of
mental health prevention and management.
Simply a lack of understanding and a lack of information is
preventing millions of people from leading full, healthy lives.
Hearts 4 Minds recognizes the need to close this gap and has
created solutions that serve the general public by providing
the community with information to learn, share and connect.
Education, early identification and access to care creates the
long-term solution to foster healthy treatment outcomes. H4M
outreach is designed to close the knowledge gap between those
that need and those that provide. Donations made to Hearts 4
Minds help ensure that our programs designed to reduce stigma,
drive early identification and facilitate early treatment of mental
illness reach those in need throughout our community.
Hearts 4 Minds uses its unique dragonfly
design as a universal symbol of hope
and healing. It is based off a photo of
our son Alex at age 5, after a dragonfly
landed on his nose. Dragonflies have
many meanings and often symbolize
courage, strength and change. It makes
the perfect symbol for mental wellness.
We use it as a unifying and recognizable
way to spread awareness about mental
illness and express support for those
impacted by it.
We have used the dragonfly to create a unique lapel pin that
we distribute to people to wear and share. To date, we have
distributed over 505,000 pins in 5 different countries. Wearing the
lapel pin raises awareness, sparks conversation and leads to the
distribution of additional pins. Symbols can be powerful tools and
present an opportunity to drive awareness, understanding and
compassion, which in turn drives change.
H4M has built on the success of the pin program to expand the use
of dragonfly with additional branded material, including our Make
Today Amazing and Mental Health Thrivers brands. Sometimes
a simple personal affirmation or reminder of a positive step can
make a difference in our lives. Our pins and products allow us to
raise additional funds for treatment, destigmatization, education
and connections to critical resources. Having a consistent symbol,
that is instantly identifiable and vivid, can mobilize masses
to change. It is an authentic invitation to create new attitudes,
behaviors and opportunities to shape our world for the better and
drive change for those battling mental illness.
H4M is proud to report the continued incredible success of its
one of a kind, proprietary Murals with Meaning program. This
visual art initiative is designed to reach far into the community
and connect residents to information about mental health and
available resources.
Specially designed murals feature quick response (QR) codes
that easily facilitate connections to information, providers and a
24/7 crisis text line.
Community murals are a popular and achievable way to beautify
neighborhoods and honor ideals. Using art is a great medium for
transforming perspectives, creating change and improving lives.
Art can be used for storytelling, changing stereotypes and giving
a voice to those who suffer from the stigma of mental illness.
Through the end of 2025, H4M completed 25 murals in Northeast
Florida and expanded it’s reach to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most
importantly, these murals connected thousands of people to H4M,
where they’re able to receive critical information about mental
health and access to local, national, and telehealth providers.
The Murals with Meaning initiative is coupled with awareness
events to enhance conversations within the community and
engage other organizations and partners to collectively tackle
the barriers in the mental healthcare ecosystem. This initiative
is made possible through the generosity of our donors and
supporters including Mayo Foundation, Florida Blue, the MaryEllen
Willis Foundation and individuals donors throughout the year.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Nobody can be successful on their own and sometimes the most important thing to know is what you don’t know. We have been committed to surrounding ourselves with people who are experts in their field – whether it be accounting, branding, design, technology or art. And we talk to everyone. Keeping an open mind about the diverse community in which we live and the small to large initiatives that touch our community, has enabled us to learn about the passionate people and projects here in Jacksonville. In their own way, each of these connections helps drive us forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hearts4minds.org
- Instagram: @hearts4minds
- Facebook: @hearts4minds
