OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Celebrating Our Impact Since 2021
Since our founding in 2021, Aspire Advocates has become a beacon of hope for Missouri youth facing the devastating challenges of mental illness and substance use disorder. Through visionary leadership, relentless advocacy, and strategic partnerships, we have transformed heartbreak into action—changing policies, launching solutions, and saving lives.
Every initiative we pursue is grounded in an urgent truth:
- More than 30,000 youth in Missouri struggle with a substance use disorder.
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10–24.
These are not just numbers—they are sons and daughters, students, friends, and future leaders. Aspire is working to ensure they get the support and second chances they deserve.
Launching Missouri’s First Recovery High School
In a groundbreaking effort, Aspire Advocates led the charge to establish Missouri’s first-ever Recovery High School, set to open in St. Louis in Fall 2026. Designed to support students in recovery from substance use disorder, this school will offer a safe, empowering space where young people can heal while continuing their education.
Securing Sustainable Funding for Long-Term Change
Aspire turned advocacy into action by securing unprecedented state investments to make youth mental health and recovery support a permanent priority:
- $100,000 to fund a new Mental Health Specialist position at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
- $1 million in pilot funding ($500,000 in FY2025 and FY2026) to launch Recovery High Schools.
- $10 million annually for 10 years to support the operation of four Recovery High Schools across the state—providing stable, long-term recovery and education pathways for hundreds of Missouri teens each year.
Driving Mental Health Awareness—And Saving Lives
We know that awareness is prevention, and that education saves lives. Aspire led efforts that are directly changing outcomes:
- Helped secure $1 million for a public awareness campaign promoting 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
- Supported passage of HB2136, which:
- Requires suicide prevention training for all Missouri teachers.
- Mandates that 988 is printed on student ID cards for grades 7–12, making crisis support more visible and accessible.
Since its launch, 988 has responded to over 9 million contacts nationwide, including hundreds of thousands from youth in crisis. Aspire’s work ensures Missouri youth know where to turn when they need help most.
Empowering Youth to Lead the Movement
We believe that youth with lived experience must shape the solutions that serve them:
- Facilitated powerful testimony from young people before the Task Force on Substance Abuse and Prevention and the House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee in support of HB1386.
- Launched our Youth Advisory Board, which ensures that youth voices guide every policy and program we support.
Unifying Communities and Lawmakers Around Behavioral Health
Aspire is building a statewide movement fueled by love, advocacy, and connection:
- Hosted statewide “YOU ARE LOVED” mental health rallies and legislative call days—from college campuses to the Capitol.
- Engaged hundreds of advocates through legislative alerts supporting key youth mental health bills.
- Conducted monthly community outreach events to listen, educate, and collaborate across Missouri.