The Inspired Story
Behind BTHCC
On April 18, 2020 MJ Bentley received a text message saying Hayden Hunstable who was 4 days shy of his 13th birthday died by suicide. Her heart was shattered as she thought about the Hunstable family and their beautiful boy. She had been recently reconnected with April Hunstable, Hayden’s mom, 8 weeks prior to the tragedy.
Despite the pandemic shut in-orders the entire community came out to support the Hunstable family and celebrate Hayden’s heavenly birthday! It was a beautiful site to see so many hugging each other and releasing balloons in his honor!
Our community showed up and shared so much love for each other. It ignited a flame of passion to serve others after a fearful state of isolation and all the “unknowns.” No matter what, we need each other. Relationships matter… face to face interactions…no distractions…CONVERSATIONS MATTER.
The Film
Shortly thereafter, MJ, her partners at Fort Worth Studios and the Hunstables produced the film ALMOST THIRTEEN which is on many streaming platforms domestically and internationally to raise awareness on SUICIDE. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 10-17 year olds. According to the World Health Organization, one person dies every 40 seconds from suicide.
The last few years as MJ lead bible studies and volunteered her time in the community she was shown how so many people were struggling, in pain and wanting to take their lives. Enough was enough. She realized the incredible need for a safe, intentional, educational, caring, fun place for kids and their families to use the neighbors around them to help navigate through the tough times. She met with Mayor Kit Marshall and shared her concerns and vision. Mayor Kit agreed and was 100% on board. She offered to come pour into the kids and teach phone safety. MJ reached out to Brad to share her vision and without hesitation he said “I’m in, let’s go save lives!!! He was the very first donor at 18k and continues to support us as an active board member traveling the Nation to spread the word about this amazing opportunity to fund such an important cause, create a movement and teach people how to LIVE!
THE HUNSTABLES
Brad Hunstable and his family are on a mission to encourage the youth, promote healthy lifestyles and most importantly save lives! Brad is a passionate and active board member on Branch To Hope Community Center.
The Branch To Hope Community Center Board has such a passion to serve! Please join us in restoring our families, our communities, our NATION and WORLD!
THE WHY
We live in a fast paced world, with jammed packed schedules, overuse of electronics and communicate on ever changing social media platforms creating an atmosphere of anxiety, depression, suicide ideation, ADHD, and physical illnesses. Instead, BTHCC will come along side you and lift you up, providing a place to slow down, unwind, enjoy time away from the hustle and bustle and experience the beauty of caring attitudes and God’s nature.
THE DATA
Just prior to 2008, the following were introduced:
• Social Media (ie. Facebook- 1 millionth user Dec 2004
• High Speed Internet (ie. Verizon FIOS/ 2005)
• Streaming Media Technology - (ie. YouTube- 2005)
• High End Video Game Systems (ie. XBOX 360-2005)
• Smartphones - (ie. iPhone- 2007)
• Pornography- Massive growth with the Internet / Streaming Media
What can be seen in the slides that follow is the clear ~ 2008 inflection point for many of the trends. 2008 is significant because it is several years after the smartphone, high speed internet (like Fios), high end video games, and social media like Facebook were introduced. As screen/ device use increases, so does behavior change/and or dysfunction. My contention is that each of the trends changes due to increasing use of these devices/apps. What is also apparent is that those who use screens the most by age bracket are the most likely to show signs of depression and anxiety. The R-squared for correlation is significant.
