On May 18th Mental Health America of Roanoke Valley (MHARV) is hosting their 15th Annual Walk for Mental Health at Smith Park. MHARV is an organization that strives to change perceptions surrounding mental health, increase public knowledge of mental and physical wellness, offer resources for children and families, and provide access to quality mental health care.
There are three ways people can participate in this event: form a team and walk, ask their employer to make a corporate sponsorship to the Walk, or simply donate to the effort.
Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. There will be a competitive Speed Walking portion of the Walk beginning at 10:00 a.m., the actual Walk will begin at 10:15 a.m., and there will be a Dog Walk at 10:30 a.m. After the Walk, lunch will be provided by Kroger, and there will be activities for families and children.
The one take away MHARV hopes people will get from this event is the breadth of work that MHARV performs in the community. In the past three years, MHARV has served over 200 unduplicated patients via the Collaborative Clinic (the only free psychiatric clinic in the state of Virginia!), provided over 800 medication management appointments via their Collaborative Clinic, provided over 1,000 counseling sessions via their clinic, and provided over 2,500 psychiatric medications free of charge to patients via the clinic.
Their Super Hero Kids program has provided therapeutic activities to nearly 60 youth who are survivors of domestic violence over the past three years, and over 300 local law enforcement officers have received Crisis Intervention and de-escalation training during this time period. MHARV has also made a commitment to work closely with community partners and stakeholders via participating in a strong referral network, grant opportunities, coalitions, and other community initiatives.
You can sign up for the Walk here, and everyone who raises $100 gets a free T-shirt!
