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Open Minds at Penn is formed at the Univ. of Pennsylvania
Active Minds got its start on the University of Pennsylvania campus in 2001. Alison Malmon, then a junior, returned to campus following the suicide of her older brother, Brian Malmon, and recognized the need for Penn students to be talking about mental health issues more openly. She was determined to change the culture on her campus. After searching unsuccessfully for a group that she could bring to her campus, Alison created her own model and formed what was then known as Open Minds. -
2nd chapter of Open Minds formed at Georgetown Univ.
Kate Hard dedicated her first year as a Georgetown University transfer student to bringing the Penn program, and mental health awareness, to her new campus. She founded the second chapter of Active Minds at Georgetown in fall 2002, which gained the same momentum and support as had the Penn chapter. -
Open Minds wins its 1st award
As the first student-run mental health education group in Pennsylvania, Open Minds’ creativity and effectiveness caught the attention of the local Mental Health America chapter and received its first recognition, the Innovation Award, at their Bell of Hope Awards dinner. This was just the start of many more awards to come! -
Open Minds is incorporated as Active Minds
Registered in the District of Columbia, Active Minds officially became an incorporation. -
1st national press on CNN
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Active Minds is granted 501(c)3 status
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1st National Mental Health on Campus Conference
Active Minds’ first national conference on the Georgetown University campus convened about 30 attendees from eight different campuses, with speakers from American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association, National Institutes of Mental Health, and more. -
Active Minds moves out of Alison's bedroom
When Active Minds moved into its first office, the first staff person to work with Alison was hired. Jessica Levenson was brought on as the organization’s first Chapter Coordinator. As Chapter Coordinator, she was focused on developing new chapters and supporting the students and staffpeople interested in raising awareness on their campuses through Active Minds. -
Teen Suicide Prevention Bill (HB930) is signed into law
Governor Robert Ehrlich signed HB930 into Maryland law, partly thanks to the lobbying of Active Minds founder, Alison Malmon. The bill called for the implementation of peer-to-peer mental health awareness programs like Active Minds, along with screening programs, in pilot Maryland high schools and juvenile facilities. HB930 mandates the Maryland State Department of Education to apply for federal funding through the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act to fund these teen suicide prevention programs. -
1st international Active Minds chapter founded
Active Minds expands beyond the border with its first chapter outside of the United States at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. -
1st National Stress Out Day
National Stress Øut Day was launched in 2006 by Active Minds and Anxiety Disorders Association of America to provide a pre-finals stress reliever and to educate and provide students with information about stress management, anxiety and related disorders at the end of the spring semester. Over one hundred campuses participate each year. <a href='http://www.activeminds.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=69&Itemid=105' >Learn more about National Stress Out Day -
Active Minds founder Alison Malmon profiled in The New York Times
The profile in the New York Times by Tamar Lewin marked the first major print profile of Active Minds and its founder. -
1st National Day Without Stigma
National Day Without Stigma was designed to create a unified program for all Active Minds chapters that highlights the importance of raising awareness and educating people about mental health issues to help ensure that students receive the help they need. National Day Without Stigma is held on the Monday of Mental Health Awareness Week each year. Learn more about National Day Without Stigma -
Active Minds marks its 3rd birthday with a celebratory fundraiser
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Active Minds welcomes its 100th chapter
Our number of chapters break into triple digits with a chapter at at the St. Catherine University in Minneapolis, MN. -
1st high school chapter founded
Active Minds is introduced into high schools with a chapter at Newton South High School. -
Send Silence Packing inaugural display
Send Silence Packing, a traveling display of 1,100 backpacks that represent the 1,100 college and university students who die by suicide across the country each year, was unveiled on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The event was visited by over 10,000 people and Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) was a special guest speaker at the event. Learn more about Send Silence Packing -
Active Minds becomes an office of 5
With the hire of our first-ever national Programs Director, Sara Abelson, MPH, our office grew to the swell number of 5, and changed structure to reflect the organization’s focus on national programming. Read Sara's staff bio -
New Active Minds website and brand launches
Active Minds gets a new look! We unveiled our new website and logo at the 5th annual National Mental Health on Campus Conference at The University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, PA - Active Minds' birthplace. -
150th chapter founded
Our network of chapters grew to 150 with the founding of Active Minds at the College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ. -
200th chapter founded
Active Minds celebrated a historic milestone - its 200th campus chapter when Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, FL joined our organization. FAMU is one of 105 Historical Black College or Universities in the country. Read the press release -
Spring Break-the-Silence Fundraiser
The first Spring Break-the-Silence Fundraiser convened supporters in the fun Google DC office to hear from special guests two-time Pro Bowler Shawn Andrews from the Philadelphia Eagles; Dr. Tom Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health; Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-CA, and Director of the Google DC office and Active Minds Board Member Bob Boorstin. -
Active Minds acquires The Heard mental health speakers bureau
Active Minds acquired the Heard, a renowned young adult mental health speakers bureau from the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign (NMHAC), which then closed its doors. The Heard was the first speakers bureau in the country devoted to removing the stigma surrounding mental illness and raising mental health awareness among high school and college students. Learn more about The Heard -
Pepsi Refresh Everything grant
Supporters of Active Minds lent their voices and votes to Active Minds, Inc.'s Send Silence Packing program in the renowned Pepsi Refresh Everything Competition. As a result, Active Minds finished in 4th place among more than 200 entrants and received a $50,000 grant from Pepsi. The grant funded the first-ever cross-country tour of Send Silence Packing. [Read more in the tour's blog](http:///www.sendsilencepacking.org) -
250th chapter founded
We hit the 250 mark with Active Minds at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. -
Active Minds goes to Capitol Hill
A room full of congressional aides and prominent leaders in the mental health field joined Dr. Tim Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, and Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) on Capitol Hill for the first-ever educational briefing on college mental health, sponsored by Active Minds. <a href='http://www.activeminds.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=329&Itemid=93' >Read the press release -
300th chapter founded
We celebrated our 300th chapter when we welcomed Active Minds at State University of New York Oswego in Oswego, NY. Read the press release here.
