Rikki Bower and the Charlotte Royals Rugby Team are Bringing Mental Health First Aid Certification to CLGBTCC Members

I am excited to tell you about this event because the Charlotte Royals hold a special place in my heart because I played with the team for 10 years, and when Rikki approached me with this innovative professional development combined with fundraising idea, I wanted to help him make this happen.

Rikki Bower knows that community care cannot stay theoretical. As a social worker, Program Lead in Community Health Education, and certified Mental Health First Aid instructor, Rikki has spent years helping people build the confidence to recognize when someone may be struggling and respond with care.

As fundraising chair for Charlotte Royals Rugby Football Club, he also understands how much queer grassroots organizations rely on community support to keep creating spaces where LGBTQ+ people and allies can belong.

Now, through a collaboration between Charlotte Royals RFC and CLGBTCC, Rikki is bringing those two parts of his life together. Yes, this raises funds for the Charlotte Royals, but it is also a community-focused professional education opportunity, led by someone with real experience in mental health literacy, that gives LGBTQ+ business owners, nonprofit leaders, managers, volunteers, service providers, and community members practical tools they can carry into their workplaces, teams, organizations, and everyday relationships.

Why Rikki wanted to bring this training to the community

Mental Health First Aid is built for the moments many people find themselves in but do not always feel prepared for. A friend seems different. An employee is struggling. A client is in distress. A teammate says something concerning. A volunteer is overwhelmed. Someone in the room needs support, and the person closest to them may not know what to say next.

Rikki's goal is to help more people feel prepared for those moments. The training does not ask participants to become therapists. It helps them recognize signs of mental health and substance use challenges, respond supportively, and connect someone to appropriate resources.

Community care is not about having all the answers. It is about knowing how to show up with enough awareness, steadiness, and direction to help someone take the next step.

Why this belongs in a Chamber space

CLGBTCC members do more than run businesses. They lead teams, serve clients, manage staff, organize events, mentor others, build community spaces, and often become trusted points of contact when someone needs help. That is especially true in LGBTQ+ communities, where support often begins relationally. People may turn first to a friend, coworker, manager, business owner, bartender, coach, volunteer, or community leader before they ever reach a formal resource.

Mental health awareness is not separate from leadership. It is part of leadership.

For business owners, nonprofit leaders, ERG leaders, HR professionals, service providers, volunteers, and community organizers, this training offers a practical way to be more prepared when someone around them may be struggling.

What Mental Health First Aid actually teaches

Adult Mental Health First Aid is a nationally recognized certification that helps participants identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults. It gives people a framework for recognizing when something may be wrong, responding with care, and helping connect someone to appropriate support. Participants learn about:

• Mental health awareness and substance use awareness
• Suicide prevention
• Panic attacks and psychosis
• Narcan awareness and overdose response
• Connecting people to appropriate resources
• Self-care for people who often support others

The goal is simple: help more people feel prepared before a difficult moment happens.

How Charlotte Royals RFC is part of the story

Charlotte Royals RFC is one of Charlotte's queer grassroots sports organizations, and its impact is bigger than rugby. The Royals create belonging, connection, visibility, and support for LGBTQ+ people and allies through sport. Like many community-based organizations, that work depends on people showing up, giving back, and helping keep participation accessible.

This training gives the community a way to support the Royals while receiving something meaningful in return. Proceeds from the Mental Health First Aid training support Charlotte Royals RFC and help keep queer grassroots rugby accessible in Charlotte. That makes this partnership different. It creates value in both directions: participants gain practical training, and a local queer sports organization receives support for the community it continues to build.

Community care should be practical

"Community care" can sound abstract until it becomes something people know how to do. It can look like:

• A manager recognizing that an employee may need support
• A nonprofit leader responding more thoughtfully to a volunteer in distress
• A business owner knowing how to slow down, listen, and connect someone to resources
• A teammate, friend, or community member knowing how to stay present without trying to solve everything alone

That is what makes this training relevant beyond one organization or one event. It gives people language, structure, and confidence for moments that already happen in our workplaces and community spaces.

Event details

Frequently asked questions

Your registration supports the Charlotte Royals and helps keep queer grassroots rugby accessible in Charlotte.

If you or someone you know is struggling, support is available 24/7. Call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line).