With more than 36 years of experience in the mental health field, Christy’s passion for transforming and saving lives through mental health education led her to develop two mental health and suicide prevention programs - be nice. and be nice.extension (formerly Live Laugh Love).

Since 2006, she and her staff have passionately presented to over 300,000 people in West Michigan on mental health awareness, bullying, and suicide prevention. She has been the keynote speaker at many events and regularly delivers speaking engagements to community and business groups on mental health awareness.

Christy’s determination to make mental health a part of the conversation has led to her involvement with numerous community organizations and coalitions along with becoming a certified instructor for QPR and Mental Health First Aid, for which she has been recognized as one of the Top 100 instructors in the country.

Christy has been awarded wonderful honors for her work including the American Red Cross Hometown Hero Award, 50 Most Influential Women In West Michigan, Daughters of the American Revolution Women In History Award, and was honored as a finalist for the Brilliance Awards Woman of the Year.

Of all of her accomplishments, her family brings her the most joy. She earned the title of yiayia two years ago and now has three beautiful grandchildren, and is the proud mom of Demetrios, Katerina, and Isabella with her hubby Tim.

Christy protects her mental health by dominating in trivia every Wednesday night with her friends and spending time at her second home in Manistee, Michigan. She is a proud graduate of Michigan State University (Go Green!) and is a devoted member of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Kandice works closely with schools on implementing and delivering our education programs: be nice. and be nice. extension. In addition, she serves as an Instructor for Mental Health First Aid and helps plan the MHF’s Annual Stomp Out Stigma Walk and Shining Through Art Show and Auction. Kandice graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2007 and received her Masters in Social Work from Western Michigan University in 2013. Kandice lives in Hudsonville with her husband, Patrick, and 2 daughters, Adeline and Blakely. Kandice protects her mental health by walking her golden retriever Rosie, spending time with family, shopping, and binge-watching tv shows with her husband.

Jessica started working for the Foundation in 2016. She is responsible for all things communications. She manages the website, handles the social media accounts and media presence, writes those jazzy newsletters our subscribers love, and creates compelling content to support the MHF's programs. She also assists in the coordination of the smaller community-curated fundraisers and seeks out community partnerships to promote the be nice. education program. She is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a degree in communications and a background in journalism and broadcasting. Jess protects her mental health by being outside and she always has a book she’s reading. She's hiked 365 miles along the Appalachian Trail, trekked deep into the Grand Canyon, topped mountain peaks of the Canadian Rockies, spent four days traversing the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, hiked her then six-month-old baby boy to see the 360° view atop Cloud's Rest in Yosemite Nat'l Park and most recently hiked her 6-week-old baby girl into the clouds of the Smoky Mountains to take in the views of Chimney Top Mountain.

Rachael grew up with the be nice. program and was a part of the be nice. Leadership Group at Grandville High School for four years. She then attended Hope College where she studied business with a background in psychology and neuroscience, and also played Women’s Soccer. As a student-athlete, Rachael had her own struggles with mental health and became a survivor of suicide in 2018. Her personal understanding and passion for mental health awareness and suicide prevention in young athletes is what brought her to a position with the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan as a Program Coordinator, working with the be nice. School and Team programs. Rachael protects her mental health by playing rec soccer and volleyball, enjoying a good meal with a friend, and playing with her dog Tucker.

Mary began working in the mental health environment in 2012 at Network180 as an Accounting Clerk after being a stay at home mom for many years. During those years she volunteered in a variety of ways at her children's school, dance studio and other fundraising events. In 2017, she started at the Foundation as a volunteer organizing apparel. Now, she is responsible for the bookkeeping. She and her husband John have two children, Erin and Steven. She enjoys keeping the Foundation staff supplied in sweets, and chilling by the lake with family and friends and a good book!

Eric Hipple is a former National Football League (NFL) quarterback whose ten-year career was spent with the Detroit Lions. Born in Lubbock, Texas, and raised in Downey California, Eric graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Business administration and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1980. Hipple’s accomplishments include two playoff bids, a divisional championship, and the Detroit Lion’s most valuable player award for the ‘81 season. From 1995-2000 Hipple was the color analyst for the FOX NFL pre-game show in Detroit.

Since his 15-year-old son Jeff’s suicide, Hipple has devoted his life to building awareness and breaking down the stigma surrounding depressive illnesses. Hipple received an Honorary Doctorate for his work in Mental Health from his Alma Mater while giving the commencement speech to the 2019 class at Utah State University. He also received the University of Michigan 2015 Neubacher Award for work with stigma associated with disabilities, the Detroit Lions 2010 Courage House award, and the prestigious 2008 Life Saver Achievement award given by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He co-authored a study examining depression among retired football players, the study appeared in the April 2007 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. He was awarded a presidential citation at the American Psychological Association’s 2006 Annual Convention for his six years of national community-based work combating adolescent depression and suicide prevention.

His message of resilience has provided mental fitness awareness to professional groups, the military, law enforcement, schools, communities, and thousands of high school and youth coaches. In conjunction with Navy U.S. Fleet Forces, he has provided workshops on destructive behavior and suicide prevention over an eleven-year span by focusing on Mental Fitness. His book “Real Men Do Cry” received a publisher Presidential Award. After retiring from the University of Michigan's Comprehensive Depression Center, where he spent ten years as outreach coordinator, he helped found the After The Impact Fund supporting mental health treatment for NFL Legends and military veterans. Most recently, Hipple was the recipient of the One Heart Award from the Detroit Has Heart Foundation and is currently working to provide Mental health awareness serving the public with an emphasis on military veterans, youth, and employees in the workplace. Eric's commitment to helping others find a quality in life is demonstrated through work with nonprofit foundations and their missions.

Eric protects his mental health by having a resilience plan and daily reflection.

I have been involved in the be nice. program in 2017 and 2018. I also enjoy helping people with their mental health. I protect my mental health by bowling and hanging out with my family and friends.