Roxbury suicide prevention group receives $10,000 grant from Paramount
WBZ-TV and MTV surprised a Roxbury organization with a $10,000 grant as part of Mental Health Action Day. DeeDee's Cry will use the money to plan a wellness walk and mental health fair in Roxbury. The event will bring young people and mental health professionals together for conversation.
DeeDee's Cry
"I did not expect this at all," said Toy Burton, founder of DeeDee's Cry. "The grants that we have, they're are allocated for other things, so it's hard. We don't have the funds to do stuff like that."
Burton has applied for the grant before, but this is the first year she has won it. WBZ-TV met her at a restaurant in Roxbury to give her the good news. The grant came from WBZ-TV and MTV through its parent company Pararmount in honor of Mental Health Action Day on May 15.
Burton has survived losing someone to suicide and attempting suicide herself. She is also a victim of domestic violence and sexual assault. DeeDee's cry is named for Burton's sister, Denita Shayne Morris, who died from suicide at 23. The group provides resources for suicide prevention and coping with loss. It also works to destigmatize mental health issues in the Black community.
Don't say no
"That is my superpower," Burton said. "I felt like I went through what I went through to be able to support those who are going through it."
Danita Moment is one of those people. On New Year's Eve, her son Cole died. The 21-year-old's body was found at a trash facility in Saugus. Police told her he slipped over a rail on long walk.
"Unfortunately, when he passed away, a lot of information wasn't being given to us, and we still don't know everything to this day as far as last 17 minutes of his life," says Moment. "You can't properly grieve until you actually know what happened."
Toy reached out to console her and asked if DeeDee's Cry could help. While this isn't the group's typical call, it has a don't say no policy.
"She kept reaching out to make sure, 'Are you getting what you need? Do you need me to call different authorities? Do you need me to call representatives?'" Moment said.
Burton's connections helped to get Danita some answers, but questions still remain.
"I don't think the mental health community gets enough attention," Moment said.
