CAMBRIDGE, Illinois — Henry County community members gathered Sunday, Oct. 3 at College Square Park to celebrate mental health awareness.
Henry County Mental Health Alliance volunteers said they wanted to give the community a day of fun to encourage positivity.
"We wanted to be able to do something where we can come out and share testimonies from people, so that all of us can hear that," said John Taylor, Henry County Mental Health Alliance volunteer. "And make people feel okay with their anxiety and their depression and their challenges"
The event had spoken-word testimonies, food, live music and a petting zoo.
One speaker at the event said she's happy people are having mental health conversations with children to help break a cycle of negative stigmas from early generations.
“People didn't talk about it, people didn't talk about mental health things," Mrs. Heartland U.S. American Elegance 2021 Ina Kuster said, "and that stigma was really unhealthy because I think a lot of people my age or older grew up not comfortable talking about their mental health with anybody."
Early conversation about mental health will also make people more comfortable asking for help when it's needed.
“The earlier that we can reach people, the earlier that we can let them know that it's okay to not be okay," said Taylor.
The organization partnered with a local author Tom Akers to showcase his new children's book "Everett the Incredible." The book focused on bullying, and it will be given to Henry County's 1st-5th grade students.