Stow, Kent Youth Co-Host Mental Health Awareness Program Wednesday

The Coleman Youth Board – which includes four students – is hosting a Mental Health Awareness Program and Dessert Night starting at 7 pm tonight at in Kent.

The youth board is a dynamic group of students in grades 7-12 from Kent, Stow and Ravenna who are working to reduce stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues in their schools and communities.

In addition to presentations by the youth board, this evening’s event will feature special guest Dan Crail, who is a guidance counselor at Auburn Career Center. Two of the students from his school were among those killed in the Feb. 27 shootings at Chardon High School.

Crail, a 2002 graduate of in Kent, will share his reflections on the recent events in Chardon.

Representing SMFHS on the board are sophomore Maggie Marten and juniors Brittiany Andears, Christine Halasz and Suzanna Moyer.

Following the presentation there will be an opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of desserts which are being donated for the evening. The youth board members at each school have held mental health awareness activities at their schools and will have displays showcasing those activities.

The Coleman Youth Board is an initiative of the Coleman Professional Services Board of Trustees.

The youth board’s purpose includes learning about and better understanding mental illness and its prevalence, and creating anti-stigma programs to share at their schools.

The youth board has been meeting monthly since the beginning of the year and has worked together to understand behavioral health issues that are common to all their schools, as well as the unique differences at each school.

With mental illness affecting one in four adults, one in six adolescents and one in 10 children, fostering understanding and compassion and decreasing stigmas and misinformation is important for all ages.

Coleman Professional Services is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit provider of behavioral health and rehabilitation programs that improve the lives of individuals, families and businesses in Ohio.

The company relies on an Enterprise Business Model to diversify its funding. Its social enterprises and Coleman Foundation provide nearly 20 percent of revenue to support the company’s award-winning clinical services.