Help Kalisha raise $1K for Darkness Rising Project

I’ve spent my career sitting across from people in their hardest moments as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I learned firsthand how much unmet mental health need exists in Black communities, and how often the people who need care the most have the least access to it.

That’s why I joined the board of the Darkness RISING Project. We provide free mental health care to Black and formerly incarcerated communities, people who are too often failed by a system that wasn’t built with them in mind. I’ve watched what happens when someone finally gets a space to be heard without judgment: it changes everything. Not just for them, but for their families and their communities.

This year, that work is at risk. The grants that used to fund our programs dried up almost overnight. Not because the need went away, but because funding priorities shifted. We’re not stopping. We’re adapting. But we can’t do it without you.

My goal is to raise $1,000 by September 15th to keep our doors open and to keep funding free therapy for justice-involved people of color and the costs that let us keep showing up.

If you believe, like I do, that healing shouldn’t depend on your zip code or your bank account, I’d be so grateful for your support. Any amount helps.

Thank you for being part of this with me.

Peace & Love,

Dr. Kalisha Smith, LCSW, CASAC-M