Cuero ISD will host a community walk for the start of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month at the Cuero High School Track at Gobbler Stadium Thursday, April 30, from 4 to 6 p.m.
The theme is “Walk the Track, Break the Stigma.” There will be resources, information and giveaways available for all ages at the event.
“Cuero ISD is deeply committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of its students, staff, and the broader community,” said Kathy F. Scott, a licensed medical social worker at Hunt and John C. French Elementary Schools. “The Mental Health Awareness Walk is aimed at promoting, understanding, fostering connection and accessing resources and information.”
Scott said there was a strong turnout at last year’s walk, which was the first for CISD to sponsor, and it was cohosted with the Pilot Club. Mental Health Awareness Month is always observed every May with activities, she added.
“We hope to have lots of people out like last year,” Scott said.
Mental Health Awareness Month is sponsored every May by Mental Health America, a century- old national nonprofit based in Virginia. The group launched the event in 1949 to help with its goals of promoting mental health and well-being and preventing illness.
Mental Health America was founded by Clifford W. Beers, a stockbroker who suffered from bipolar disorder and was placed in sanitariums where he experienced abuse. He wrote an autobiography, “A Mind that Found Itself,” that set off a reform movement to change the way the mentally ill were treated.
Mental Health America says that one in five Americans will be diagnosed with a mental health condition in any given year, and that 59.3 million adults now meet the criteria. Anxiety disorders are the most common afflictions, and other prevalent conditions are substance abuse, bipolar disorders, depression and suicidal thoughts. Mental health conditions afflict children, teens and adults.
Treatment is available to help people live productively with mental health conditions, Mental Health America adds.
Scott noted that local vendors are invited to participate at the walk and share valuable information and services that support mental health awareness and wellness throughout the community. Contact Danielle Laird, Family Engagement Facilitator, at [email protected] or call 361-275-1900, ext. 413.
