Ace The Stigma supports children and adults suffering from mental illness.
by Michelle Boudin
Mike Reiney admits, forming and running a nonprofit wasn’t something he ever thought about. That changed when the unthinkable happened.
“It was not in my life plans at all, but it all came to be with the death of my brother, Chuck, on February 9, 2023.” Chuck Reiney moved to the Queen City 20 years ago for a job in IT consulting and eventually worked for Wells Fargo. The father of three was an avid tennis player, often found on the courts at Olde Providence Racquet Club, where he served as president beginning in 2020.
His love for the sport came early, when he and his three siblings played on the backyard court their parents built in their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida
“He was the kid in our family that was the smartest,” says Mike, describing his brother. “He was second in his class in high school, he got a near perfect score on the SAT, got every girl — everything came easy to him.”
Later in life, things seemed to continue on the same path. Chuck was married for 25 years and had plenty of friends. His baby brother seemed to have it all, Mike says.
“From the outside, you would never know he ever had a worry in his life. The thing is, up until the last three months, I’d never known him to struggle with much of anything. And then, he seemed to just fall to pieces.”
When Mike realized his brother was struggling with his mental health, he asked him if he’d seen a therapist. But Chuck was reluctant.
“There’s just a stigma around getting help and taking care of yourself from a mental standpoint,” his brother says. Mike believes Chuck was close to getting help, but didn’t.
“On February 8, the day before he died, he reached out and said ‘I’m struggling bad, I’m thinking about harming myself.’” Mike again encouraged his brother, who was 53, to find someone who could help him.
The next day, the news was devastating: Chuck had taken his own life.
The family planned a memorial service on the tennis court he’d loved so much. Five hundred people showed up. While there, friends and family spoke about hosting a tennis tournament to honor Chuck and raise money for others suffering from mental illness.
“I talked it over with our family, and we decided we felt brave enough that we could share our story to help people — because nobody should have to go through this like we have.”
The family officially formed the Ace The Stigma nonprofit in 2023 with a mission of ending the negative stereotypes around mental health. The first event, a tennis tournament at Olde Providence, raised almost $200,000 for five Charlotte-area nonprofits that also help people battling mental illness, including HopeWay and the Alexander Youth Network.
In addition to the annual tennis tournament, Ace The Stigma hosts other events throughout the year offering mental-health services and resources to attendees.
“It’s humbling,” Mike says “What I’ve learned is that it’s made me feel there are a lot of people who are suffering with their own problems, but also a lot of families who are left behind like our family with no note, nothing to go back on and no answers. Every time we have an event or a session, people come out of the woodwork, because they’re all affected.”
He says each time they get together it helps his family heal just a little bit more.
“It’s a group-therapy session for all of us. We didn’t see it coming. We wish we would have seen, so if we can just help somebody else … You go to the doctor when you have a sniffle, but you think twice if you have a mental problem and don’t have anyone to talk to. We’re trying to make people feel comfortable … there’s a stigma around mental health, and we’re working to change that.” SP
Ace The Stigma will host its second annual tennis tournament and fundraiser at Olde Providence Racquet Club on June 26-29.
