Debut “Bank the Blue” gala to support mental health assistance for Chicago area police officers

"Bank the Blue," a non-profit organization supporting law enforcement officers in Chicago and Cook County by offering programs outside local departments that address mental health issues, is holding its first fundraising gala Thursday, October 21. The event will be held at the Theater on the Lake and will include dinner, dancing and a live auction. Anita Padilla and Lou Canellis from FOX-32 Chicago will serve as the hosts.  Stephanie Samuels, founder of Copline, an international hotline for police officers struggling with mental health issues, will be one of the guest speakers.

Launched in March of 2020 by a group of Chicago business people who wanted to offer support to the police, Bank the Blue was created because now more than ever the Chicago area needs healthy and engaged law enforcement officers working in partnership with the communities they serve. Today, many police officers struggle with untreated mental health issues due to their constant exposure to violent and traumatic situations they encounter on the job. Since the pandemic began and with the increase in gun violence, especially in Chicago, that exposure has increased. 

Mental health experts say the rate for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among police officers is five times higher than that of the civilian population. According to a U.S. Department of Justice report, Chicago’s police suicide rate is 60 percent higher than the national law enforcement average. 

“Local departments, including the Chicago Police Department, alone cannot meet the mental health needs of their officers. Their mental health programs are not large enough to accommodate all those who need help and there is often a culture that prevents officers from seeking help through their own departments,” said attorney Daniel Q. Herbert of Herbert Law Firm and one of the founders of Bank the Blue. “We want to help fill the void and remove the stigma. The consequences of untreated mental health issues for the officers, their families and the communities they serve can be tragic.”

During the past year, Bank the Blue has worked with mental health experts and compiled a referral list of reputable mental health providers who specialize in treating law enforcement officers and the unique situations they face daily. Recognizing that seeking outside mental health treatment can be daunting, Bank the Blue streamlined the process and made access to respected providers simple via its website. Online and phone sessions with therapists are available. 

The proceeds from the gala will fund professional training for law enforcement officers to be peer support mentors for one another and to fund an annual retreat for police officers who are involved in traumatic incidents created by Bank the Blue clinical psychologists, Dr. Robin Kroll and Dr. Terry Lynn McCormick. 

“The peer support and mentoring program is important because cops understand cops. They have been exposed to similar situations in their careers and there is an empathy and trust that is so important. The training will be conducted by Copline founder, Stephanie Samuels who has been training officers to do this for several decades,” said Kelly A. Krauchun, an attorney with Herbert Law Firm and a Bank the Blue founder. “We also will host an annual retreat for officers involved in traumatic incidents. Too often, they are never given time or help to process or address what they have experienced and the impact it has had on them.”

“Police officers must have the ability to deal with stressful situations, hostile environments, and working long hours,” said Anthony F. Varchetto, President of  Blue Star Security  and a sergeant with the Chicago Police Department’s Drug Enforcement Administration task force and a Bank the Blue founder. “The mental health of a police officer plays such an important role in the level of service they can provide the community.”

The presenting sponsor, Tavern On The Point, is owned by John Capesius. He and other sponsors and donors are underwriting the cost of the event so all the proceeds will go directly to funding the mental health assistance programs.  The live auction includes two round-trip, first class airplane tickets to New York City, along with two scout seats to a 2022 Cubs/Mets game at Citi Field, and two nights in a 5 star hotel.  Tickets and more info available here:  https://banktheblue.com/events/