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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIA PONCE BERRE actually have worked in the field, and for me to be personally affected by it, made it something we realized was our mission. There are a lot of people out there who are suffering in silence and may not have the resources to get the help they need. Just a few mont hs of t reat ment rea lly changed my life, so that's what inspired me to spread the word and be an advocate. What has the response been like since you established the foundation? BM : It 's been interest ing how quick ly I went from being a patient to a provider—not only in the things we're trying to do in our foundation, but in the locker room: guys calling from other teams; coaches or referees calling, asking for help or asking, "What should I do?" I didn't expect that to happen so quickly, so that's been cool. Michi, you're very passionate about fashion. Talk about how you have carried that aspect of your life into the foundation's efforts. MM: Being in school for fashion right now [at The Illinois Institute of Art Chicago], I had the oppor- tunit y to speak at a fashion show and, because of the platform that Brandon has created, I was able to talk to the students about the [parallels] between fashion and psychology. We use fashion a s a n expression a nd to por t ray a n image of ou rselves. Because of t hat combinat ion, a few opportunities have presented themselves. We've partnered with the nail polish company OPI to create a lime -g reen polish for Ment a l Hea lt h Awareness Month in May; we'll give the bottles to people who make a donation. I've also partnered with Alyce Paris, the prom and formal dress com- pany, to do some collaborations for May, some lime-green dresses and some giveaways for girls who are part of underprivileged communities. You lit up several buildings in lime green in October for Mental Illness Awareness Week, and you're planning to expand on t hat in May. How did that come about? BM: I was sitting in our condo downtown one night and thought, "How cool would it be to light these buildings lime green for the week?" Because t hey were pink at the time [for Breast Cancer Awareness Month]. So I told Michi, and then all of a sudden a week or two later, [our team] had plans all over our chalkboard in the office. It was like a big gift to me that they had gone out and done it. MM: [Foundation advocate Souk Greiner and I ] t a lked to ow ners of t he dif ferent buildings about the initiative and what it would mean to us. We're home-based, and Chicago is where our hea r t lies. So we got t hat message to t he r ight people, and we got the Trump, Tribune Tower, the Wrigley, and the InterContinental all lit up. BM: It's our goal to have the White House lit up, even if it's for 30 minutes or a day. We're trying to use all of our resources there to get that done. When you look out at the skyline and you ask, "Why is it lime green?"—well, it's Mental Health Awareness Month, and what does that mean? What does that mean for you? What does that mean for our nation, for our city? That's a perfect way to start the conversation. Are t here any part icular allies t hat have stepped up in terms of supporting you? BM: People look at me like I'm the big football player for the Chicago Bears, but it's really Michi making the partnerships work. She's blazing the trail. [For my part] I've tried to pinpoint the perfect partnerships, whether it's government, corpora- tions, or individuals. We're going after Nike; we're going after Walgreens, Johnson & Johnson. What are some of the challenges that you've been facing as a foundation? BM: Our biggest challenge is slowing ourselves down, because right now there are so many oppor- tunities and so many people want to get on board, but we have to get them involved the right way. We need to be thoughtful and strategic and careful. MM: As a foundation that's focused on such a sen- sitive topic, we have to make sure that the people we partner with understand what mental health is and the need for mental health awareness. Do you think the public's perception of men- tal illness is changing? BM: There's more conversation; it's starting to make its way to the dinner table. I still believe it's The Marshalls are diagramming a future in which their foundation is the world's leading advocate and fundraiser for mental health. "It's been interesting how quickly I went from being a patient to a provider."—BRANDON MARSHALL continued on page 82 continued from page 78 80 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY 078-083_MA_SP_SOG_May/June_14.indd 80 4/14/14 2:19 PM