In February of 2021, First Lady DeSantis launched the Resiliency Florida initiative – a partnership with professional sports teams and athletes – including Tom Brady, David Beckham, Peyton Manning, Lou Holtz, Tony Dungy, Urban Meyer, Crystal Thomas, Ali Marpet, Bryant McFadden, Mark Richt, Twan Russell, Corey Simon, Tra Thomas, Jonathan Vilma, Charlie Ward, Tyler Johnson, Joey Logano, Brandon Lowe, and Chris Mueller – to address the stigma surrounding mental health. These teams and athletes are lending their voices and personal stories of resilience and hope to empower Florida students to persevere through adversity. As a part of this initiative, First Lady DeSantis is working with Volunteer Florida and the Florida Department of Education on the Hope Ambassadors program – a network of over 100 middle and high school clubs encouraging a campus culture of kindness and empathy through peer-to-peer mentoring and volunteerism.
