Clark County event raises awareness for mental health, and those unhoused
Published 10:00 am Saturday, May 30, 2026
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and to raise awareness for mental health and offer resources to support those unhoused in the Clark County area, local community members and partners gathered on Friday to host a cookout on the Clark District Courthouse Lawn.
25th Judicial District Court Judge Earl-Ray Neal, one of the event’s creators, emphasized the importance of resources like these.
“I feel like people don’t come out of the shoot with the same resources and access to things in life,” said Neal. “I think we all have a responsibility as a community, which I feel like Winchester and Clark County does a very good job of meeting that call.”
The event included a free lunch of burgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks, and Little Debbie snack cakes.
There were also tables of local community partners who were handing out available resources and opportunities.
Donations were also accepted to support Clark County Community Services.
Judge Neal, who was manning the grill, commented on how this has been a long-standing event in the community.
“I was elected in 2006. We (Judge Neal and Brian Thomas, later William Elkins) started this in 2009,” said Neal. “And this was quite literally just a grill and some people standing, handing out whatever we could collect.”
Neal further emphasized the event’s growth within the community.
“I started (the event) a long time ago, you know, and it’s just kind of taking on a life of its own really,” said Neal.
Lindsay Horseman, an instructor of social work at Morehead State University who helped organize the event, echoed that thought.
“I think we’ve really just been on, kind of, a sustainability track,” said Horseman. “About three years ago, we added in the resource tables. We were really just (originally) focused on feeding folks in the community…Judge Neal has always wanted a focus, not just on mental health, but on our unhoused population and making sure that we are aware of what those folks need and the services that they need.”
“We’ve done a lot of things to try to help people,” said Neal. “I really do think that’s one of the things that sets Clark County aside from some of the other counties.”
Horseman mentioned three primary resources to anyone in the Clark County area with a need: Clark County Community Services, the Clark County Homeless Coalition, and the Recovery Community Center, which Horseman said is part of the Clark County Health Department.
“Those are our kind of primary places where you can go in, tell them what your needs are, and they will connect you where you need to be connected,” said Horseman.