Bergen's Promise is pleased to announce its 2nd Annual Legislative Breakfast, scheduled for Friday, May 16, 2025, from 8:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Biagio's Restaurant & Banquet Hall in Paramus. The goal is to raise awareness about the current state of children's mental health in Bergen County and throughout the state of NJ. This event highlights collaborative efforts to address this critical issue. Registration is now open until April 25th: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftXEHrztVqqbP08cxLRURT02q9KR-aLFus_KWKOHpkQtpxCQ/viewform
We are also excited to announce that Mary Coogan, CEO/President of Advocates for Children of New Jersey will be our Featured Speaker for this event. She brings a lot of experience and insight related to foster care, kinship care, children’s health, and youth justice.
The program will include success stories from families, remarks from community leaders, and opportunities to network and collaborate. Building upon the success of last year's inaugural event, this year's breakfast will continue to foster dialogue between community leaders, legislators, and stakeholders committed to supporting youth and families.
"Our Inaugural Legislative Breakfast was a testament to the power of collaboration in addressing the mental health needs of our community's youth," said Dean Pastras, Chief Executive Officer of Bergen's Promise. "We look forward to continuing this important conversation and strengthening partnerships at this year’s second annual event."
Bergen’s Promise, like many of the other Care Management Organizations throughout NJ, strives to address the mental health and well-being needs of youth. According to our 2024 Family Satisfaction Survey, 96% of Bergen’s Promise youth improved in Areas of Risk Behavior while 95.3% of Caregivers improved their Use of Resources.
But there is still more work to be done. According to America’s Health Rankings in 2023, NJ was ranked 8th in the nation with 17.7% of children aged 3 to 17 diagnosed with conditions like ADHD, depression, anxiety, or behavioral/conduct disorders. We continue to try to close the gaps through collaborative efforts such as this Legislative Breakfast.
The many voices of support coming together to address our children’s mental health is pivotal. We invite our Bergen County community partners, NJ Leadership, and those with a passion for children’s mental health to join us for this impactful event. We are better together for youth mental health.
For more information about the event and to register, please visit the Bergen's Promise website at www.bergenspromise.org.
