Delaware therapist awarded with $25,000 business development package
By Jennifer Antonik, Delaware Business Times
NEW CASTLE – Small business owner and licensed therapist LaVante’ Dorsey is on her way to reaching more students in Delaware with mental health programming thanks to a grant from Great Dames, Inc.
Although she can sometimes be found around the state, chiefly Battery Park in New Castle, holding a sign that reads, “If you need to talk it out, have a seat,” it was her school-based programming that really caught the eye of the nonprofit organization which is focused on supporting women and girls in Delaware.
The Great Dames Remarkable Ideas pitch competition awarded Dorsey’s True to You Mental Health Initiative with a prize package worth $25,000 during its 15th anniversary global virtual celebration. Dorsey’s application was one of many pitches, according to the press release from the organization.
Dorsey’s business also earned recognition as the Small Business Administration’s 2024 Delaware Minority-Owned Business of the Year. This year’s prize package from the Great Dames included a $10,000 cash award, as well as a dedicated business mentor and a comprehensive portfolio of business services.
Her initiative, run through her private practice, has already started benefiting middle and high school students around the state through interactive assemblies featuring mental health concepts, games and competitions.
“I wanted to bring more mental health content to schools and I thought, let’s make it fun, let’s do it up. It wasn’t just an assembly at that point. I changed the typical Family Feud game into a mental health game and we were able to discuss coping skills and what teenagers often go through,” Dorsey told the Delaware Business Times.
To add a twist to her already innovative approach, she also asked the school leaders to involve a diverse group of students as participants.
“We had students working together who may not typically hang out with each other. They realized they’re not alone in what they go through. We had a dance contest and peers cheered each other on,” she added.
Each assembly she’s hosted so far as included about 500 students, but Dorsey said she didn’t want to stop there.
“I thought, ‘How can I expand on this idea and reach more schools and students struggling in Delaware?’ Every 15 minutes, a teen dies from suicide and that’s something we can impact. We were even able to identify some students who were high risk for suicide during our assemblies. That’s the mission I’m after,” she told DBT.
While seeking the award from the Great Dames, Dorsey had to deliver a presentation detailing her impact and goals for the future – highlighting the 1,424 women and teen girls she’s reached through her efforts so far with more on the horizon as she also works to develop the Girls Academy focused solely on reaching teenage girls with mental health and well-being programming.
“Every one of our competition finalists is a visionary woman leader, recognized for her innovative approach to addressing critical challenges,” Great Dames President and CEO Sharon Kelly Hake said in a prepared statement. “Our winner is tackling one of the most pressing concerns of our time: youth mental health.”