MANKATO — Mental health is at the forefront of two local weekend events held in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Together for Mental Health” will be held from 2-5 p.m. Saturday at Sibley Park in Mankato.
Co-organizer Taylor Wester said the event goal is to gather the community around mental health, bring normalcy to those conversations and inform people about local providers and services.
There will be 21 tables, staffed by area mental health providers. Wester said she expects as many as 200 people to attend the first-time event.
Mental health-themed activities will include music from KMSU, food trucks, a raffle and chalk mural. The event is free and open to the public, though food truck tickets are $15.
The event’s organizers are Wester, a therapist with Mending Roots, and Taryn Surdy, who is a therapist with Surdy Family Services. The two came together to plan and host “Together for Mental Health” as a way to help educate the community.
Building bridges between providers and the community is important too, Wester said.
Mental illness is “not something we need to avoid or be afraid of,” she said. “It’s not something we need to be embarrassed of. And there’s more resources and supports out there than people realize.”
Though societal awareness about mental illness is improving, there are still misconceptions, she said. The biggest one is that “you’re crazy or broken in some way. And that people aren’t going to be accepting, or it means you have to struggle your whole life. No matter the severity or intensity, we can make improvements.”
A second mental health event is scheduled from 1-4 p.m. Sunday at Erlandson Park in Mankato. Organizer Cindy Salsbery expects around 15 to attend and said it’s an important gathering.
Called “A Mental Health Gathering,” the first-time event is hosted by NAMI SE MN and Second Step Clubhouse. Attendees are urged to bring signs related to mental health.
Those gathered will hear from a NAMI Minnesota board member and then group together along Victory Drive and Main Street with their signs.
Salsbery said she wants to inform people about what having a mental illness is really like.
“You can live with it and have a decent, happy life,” she said. “It can be dealt with. It’s not always curable but it can be managed.”