PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The non-profit Love of T celebrated its ever-growing community and raised funds to continue its mission during its "Dance the Blues Away" gala on Saturday. 

 

The organization works to help those struggling with suicidal thoughts lead beautiful and fulfilling lives. 

 

Over the years, it has established a community of people who understand each other's struggles and support one another, Love of T staff and participants said. 

 

This year, it has served more than 245 individuals and provided over 440 hours of peer support, and it hopes to keep growing, said board Chair Paul Farella.

 

"We achieve so much, and none of this happens without the collective effort of everyone in this room. Your support changes lives. It strengthens our community and helps to build a better future," he said. 

 

The event raised more than $35,000 from the seats, donations, and live auction. The event was sold out within three weeks of going on sale, Love of T founder Luke Fitzgerald said. 

 

"I want to thank everyone at a time where most organizations are in fear of having to pull back and cut services, Love of T is expanding," Fitzgerald said. 

 

It also highlighted the nonprofits' rebranding and new location at the Berkshire County National Alliance on Mental Illness office on North Street. 

 

This new location has allowed it to extend its hours to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between 4 and 7 p.m.

 

When the nonprofit was first established, it had a very broad mission statement of trying to fill in the gaps in the behavioral health-care system in Berkshire County, Fitzgerald said. 

 

Fitzgerald established Love of T in 2021 after his mother, Teresa, "T," died of suicide. He immediately began working on the foundation that was given a 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 2022. 

 

Since its formation, it has found a niche in the peer-support model rather than having it look like they are trying to do everything, Fitzgerald said. 

 

The nonprofit's leaders want their funders to know exactly what they're doing, and they want people to know exactly what they're about, he said. 

 

"The new mission statement is Love of T: to restore the will to live and thrive. At Love of T, we believe that anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts, when supported, can lead a beautiful and fulfilling life," Fitzgerald said. 

 

Its success through the peer-support model was made evident during the speeches of two Love of T participants who highlighted the substantial impact the organization has had on their mental health and how it has inspired them to help others in similar situations.

 

Angela Bartini and Connor Deihl said they have done a 180 in terms of their mental health. 

 

Bartini said she met John Pitroff, certified peer specialist and award recipient, on her last day at the Brien Center's Pomeroy House. 

 

"He's one of the peer facilitators, and he came to speak to us about the Love of T and the benefits of a peer-run group, and something about what he said spoke to me in a way that I really needed to hear," Bartini said.

 

"To this day, I feel like that decision to show up is probably one of the best decisions I possibly could have made. And I've never stopped showing up since." 

 

Bartini said she has struggled with mental health in various ways, always feeling alienated and like no one cared.

 

"It was some of the darkest times of my life, but I believed that's kind of where things were just going to stay at, and it was a long, lonely, dark journey. It felt like every time I kind of started to get myself back up, it was one of those things where it felt like you just kept getting kicked back down," she said. 

 

Bartini said she grew up in an environment with unhealed generational trauma and unchecked mental illness, leading to substance struggles and suicidal ideations. 

 

"So, suicide is something that's always followed me, countless loved ones have struggled with it, I myself have struggled with it. And I've been struggling for a long time in and out of different facilities," she said. 

 

That is where Love of T comes along, Bartini said. 

 

"This program and all the lovely people involved, past and present, they played huge roles in showing me that the world can actually be rather beautiful if you just know where to look and you don't have to go through things alone," she said. 

 

"That was probably the most healing and cathartic message I could have ever possibly received: that there are people who really do get it, and I understand that now."

 

Bartini was inspired by the impact Love of T had on her and has taken on a peer role as a recovery coach. 

 

"I feel like the changes that I've had in my life due to the group, they speak volumes to how crucial it is to have organizations like this in the community, because being surrounded by people who you're proud to know and genuinely want what's best for you, is the most healing thing in the world," Bartini said. 

 

The impact of Love of T was further emphasized by Deihl, who stated that he felt compelled to speak out not only because of the effects the organization and the entire mental health system in Berkshire County had on him, but also because "this is a cause that is literally a matter of life or death for many people in the county."

 

"There has been some progress in destigmatizing things like suicide and mental health, but suicide is still a word that no one likes to talk about. It's a word that, as a society, we like to avoid. It makes us uncomfortable or scared, but like it or not, suicide, mental illness, and substance abuse are all around us, especially in Western Massachusetts," he said. 

 

Deihl highlighted how Berkshire, Franklin, and Barnstable counties had the highest suicide rates per capita in the state as of 2020. 

 

The whole country is suffering from a mental health crisis and Western Massachusetts does not have the same mental health resources as the more populated areas. And the resources that the area does have are stretched thin, he said. 

 

Love of T was established to support local mental health institutions and promote a peer-led approach, allowing individuals to connect and share their experiences in a casual setting with others facing similar challenges, Deihl said. 

 

"I was one of the first to utilize the resources provided by the Love of T. When I was at my worst, I had completely isolated myself, with no one to talk to outside of my family. I'd taken a leave of absence from my college, and nothing seemed to be working," he said. 

 

He found found mentorship, advice, and friendship at one of Love of T's meetings. He has become passionate about Love of T's cause and tries to make it to a meeting at least once a week and volunteers for events. 

 

"It's been a long, fruitful journey for me, especially seeing Love of T grow and span to new locations. I always love seeing new faces in our groups, and I try to offer my own two cents when it comes to whatever challenges our group members may face," Deihl said. 

 

"All of that being said, peer support is a vital resource to our county, but not just to our county, to our entire state, and I think the country facing unique mental health challenges right now, including what the Surgeon General previously termed as a loneliness epidemic."

 

He highlighted the importance of raising awareness for groups like Love of T and advocated for hiring more peer workers, expanding locations, increasing availability, and integrating more with healthcare partners to provide a deeper level of care. 

 

Deihl is graduating from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts this year, where he has been studying political science. 

 

He said he is interested in politics, law, and social work. 

 

"I'm thinking of possibly going into social work because seeing the way that all of these people involved in mental health have helped me. I want to give back in some way, whether that's in some kind of political capacity or whether that's in law," he said. 

 

"I have an internship for a defense lawyer right now for the spring. So I'm very, very excited for the future, and I'm also very excited for the future of this organization." 

 

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. To contact the Crisis Text Line, text HELLO to 741741. More information on crisis hotlines in Massachusetts can be found here.