On March 17, 2000, ten parents met in person for support in a home in Alpharetta, Georgia. The ten parents, all from the metro Atlanta area, had met online through listservs for parents of children with bipolar disorder created by Tomie Burke. Cindi Gardner initiated the face-to-face meeting and spearheaded the formation of "Atlanta Parents of Bipolar Kids". A new listserv just for Georgia parents soon followed, and monthly meetings were held once a month.  The little listserv quickly grew to over 30 members in a short few months. Members began to inspire each other to educate themselves and each other on the various aspects of parenting a bipolar child. Soon the group had "experts" in medication, education issues, discipline, summer programs, hospitalization, procuring a solid diagnosis, residential treatment, navigating mental health services, juvenile justice and more. The group became known as "Metro Atlanta Parents of BP Kids" or MAP of BPKIDS for short. As the group grew, it exhibited growing pains. When Cindi moved out of state, the group split and GCBF was born in November 2001, formed by a substantial group of original members. GCBF quickly grew to over 50 members by early 2002. A website was built, first at the free Geocities site, then at www.gcbf.org. In March 2003, the group of nearly 100 statewide parents elected officers, who set to work on writing bylaws and incorporating GCBF as a non-profit organization. As of 2004, the group is over 140 members strong and has started localized meetings across the state. The future is bright for kids in Georgia with bipolar because of GCBF who is dedicated to educating parents and the public on bipolar disorder and advocating for kids and their families. Our website now includes links, resources, parent-written articles and more to aide in our mission. We hope that you will join us in our efforts to improve the lives of bipolar children in Georgia through your participation. GCBF Board of Directors and Officers Contact GCBF