VOLUNTEER ENCOURAGES YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH AT NO COST

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree William Mount. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

William Mount turned his struggle into a triumph. A lifelong stutterer, William pursued speech therapy starting at age 3 to manage and navigate his speech issues. Always inspired by his mother’s philanthropic nature, William was just a child when he decided to form an organization to help others afford speech therapy. But as he entered high school, William began to experience extreme bullying, sending him into a mental crisis. With the help of talk therapy, William was able to regain stability in his life.

At the recommendation of his lifelong pediatrician, William decided to widen his organization’s focus to mental health and speech therapy, due to the legions of struggling young people in the Virginia area. He established Free2Talk, an organization that provides financial assistance to Virginia kids and teens who are unable to afford therapy. For as many as 16 sessions, the organization pays up to 80% of the costs of therapy, knocking down many of the access and affordability barriers that prevent people from pursuing mental health treatment.

William’s dedication to making Free2Talk a functioning organization since its 2022 launch has been outstanding. As a minor, he couldn’t contact patients or handle their information. However, he took every opportunity to serve as a representative for the organization, meeting with the trusted team of trained providers who treat each young person and representing the organization at public events. From every website post or email answered behind the scenes, William worked to create an environment that could help young people. As a result, he has helped provide over 450 hours of therapy.

William recently graduated from high school and is heading to the University of Virginia in the fall. He’s already been working with the school’s clinical psychology department to spread the organization’s impact to the Charlottesville area. When he hits the campus this fall, he plans to turn Free2Talk into a student organization to bolster outreach opportunities. He hopes to create a passionate network of students who are willing to expand the organization into something even bigger in the future. William’s determination to triumph over a very challenging situation and turn it into an opportunity to help others is an inspiring demonstration of how .

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

I’ve been through speech therapy for years. I started when I was 3, and in 2022, I had the idea to start a nonprofit inspired by my mom, with a foundation being a speech therapy subsidizer for Virginia kids and teens who couldn’t afford speech therapy. But as I turned 14 and went through my freshman year, I experienced some pretty extreme bullying. I was going through a mental crisis, and I went and had therapy for several months. I believe that it helped save my life in the end. I had my nonprofit that was tabled because of those struggles that I had, and I didn’t know what to do with it. I met with my pediatrician, and she recommended that I turn it into an organization that does mental health and speech therapy due to the youth mental health crisis.

What inspires you to volunteer?

I’d say it’s a multifaceted reason, but the main one is feeling like I can create a difference in my area, and especially my state. Having those resources available to me and not using them for the greater good would make me feel like I wasn’t doing the best I could to be a citizen. Also, just having the ability to help people is a fulfilling feeling, especially helping those who have gone through the same experiences as me, but didn’t have the resources. Allowing these kids and teens to have access to the resources that helped save my life is both fulfilling but also humbling, because there’s such a large percentage of kids in this country and state who don’t have that access.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Free2Talk.

Before I turned 18, I was practically in charge of everything that wasn’t related to health information or direct patient emailing. I couldn’t reach out to patients because they were kids as well. What I did was a long list on the media side of things, like editing videos, learning how to create Canva art for Instagram posts, working through emails and scheduling Zooms. Our providers are largely very busy, and they have a long list of emails and patients they have to work with. I was in charge of networking with them, working through their schedules and meeting with them to discuss agreements for our collaboration and payment methods. Another big part of what I do is participate in events to spread awareness, like tabling at local events, partnering with local organizations and fundraising.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Reading patient parent testimonials about how Free2Talk changes the lives of their kids for the better. I received an email about a year ago from a mother whose kid received Free2Talk subsidization, and she said that without Free2Talk, she didn’t necessarily know if her child would have survived this difficult period. We were able to pay for four months of therapy for him, which was around 16 sessions. That period is usually enough to create a baseline for the patient. We allowed this child to regain his mental health. Just knowing that I helped this person regain a balance in their life is a fulfilling feeling that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

How important it is to have resources that are equally accessible for everyone. Therapy is one of those practices that’s, by and large, accessible only for those who have enough money for it. But millions of kids need therapy to either survive or create positive change in their lives. Learning how important it is to create equity in a space like this has built a vision of the future for what I want to do, and that involves community service and grassroots organizing. As I’ve learned through this, things with the greatest impact often come from just an idea in your head. Learning how much of a difference I can make just from starting a nonprofit on my computer has shown me that work like this is crucial to our society.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

Doing something bigger than yourself provides an important perspective on your privileges as a human being, especially in an area like Arlington, which is very privileged due to our location and opportunities. Getting involved creates a humbling atmosphere where you’re capable of empathizing with others and fostering an environment where you can believe that you can make a difference. There are a lot of people who believe that one person isn’t necessarily enough to create change, but through community service, I’ve learned that’s not the case.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

The best piece of advice that I could give is to just do it. There are so many volunteering opportunities. A lot of them don’t have enough volunteers because of the time commitment or the difficulties of the work, or the lack of consistency with hours. I’d say just to do it, because it’s better to volunteer and not be sure of what you’re doing than not volunteer at all. Eventually, you’ll find the place that works for you. I found my niche in volunteering. It just takes time and a degree of being intrepid enough to be willing to volunteer.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

I want them to learn that if they’re a kid or teen, it’s possible to create change at a local level. You may not believe that you have that power because of your youth or because of your socioeconomic standing, but there are tons of resources available for you to help create and make a difference. It’s just a matter of seeking them out and having the willingness to work hard enough to create something. It’s very possible, it just takes time and energy, regardless of your age.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like William? Find local volunteer opportunities.