The leadership team at Brown & Brown Insurance will be cycling nearly 500 miles to support mental health.

J. Powell Brown, president and CEO of Brown & Brown Insurance, P. Barrett Brown, executive vice president and president of the company’s retail segment, and Kellim Brown will be participating in the “Shifting Gears on Brain Health” event from Aug. 20-26.

During the event, they will be cycling the French Alps to raise awareness and funds to support mental health, Brown & Brown said.

The route they will be cycling – the Haute Route Alps – is one of the highest and most challenging routes in cycling. Stretching from Megéve to Nice, the 470-mile route will take seven days to traverse and features 66,000 feet of total elevation gain through the French Alps.

One in five US adults experience mental illness each year, and one in 20 grapple with serious mental illness each year, according to Brown & Brown.

Other mental health facts include:

• One in six US youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
• 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% begins by age 24
• Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among young people age 10-14
• 17 million US adults dealt with a c-occurring substance abuse disorder and mental illness last year
• Access to mental health and substance abuse treatment was further limited for racial and ethnic minorities by the COVID-19 pandemic

Powell, Kellim and Barrett Brown aim to raise more than $6 million to support nonprofit organizations working in the areas of mental health research, education, prevention and treatment, both in the US and globally.

For more information or to make a donation, click here.