On Oct. 10, the Mental Health Awareness Committee hosted the Mental Health Awareness Fair. The Mental Health Awareness Committee, founded by Kate Pawlowski, is an organization comprised of faculty and staff on campus.
“We hosted this fair because we wanted people to be able to learn about mental health,” fair volunteer Li Paulausky said.
The Mental Health Awareness Committee set up tables on the lawn in front of Killinger Hall and they had stacks of information to pass out to students, including a list of celebrities who suffer from mental illness, how to “help smash the stigma of mental illness,” what to do if one is worried about a friend, and the top ten things readers should know about mental illness.
On the same day, the Mental Health Awareness Committee hosted a speaker in Philips Autograph Library to speak about mental health being a public health crisis. Also, next week on Tuesday, Oct. 23, they are hosting author and comedian Sara Benincasa as she speaks about her book, “Agorafabuous!: Dispatches from My Bedroom.”
The main reason that the Mental Health Awareness Committee is holding these events, according to Andy Hubbard, a member of the Committee, is because the week of Oct. 7-13 is National Mental Health Awareness Week.
“It’s important because everybody faces challenges,” Hubbard said. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help, and we want students to know that help is available on campus.”
If you or a friend needs help, please either go or tell your friend to visit WCU’s Counseling Center, which is located on the second floor of Lawrence Dining Hall. One visit can make all the difference.
Clare Haggerty is a second-year student majoring in English. She can be reached at CH757342@wcupa.edu.