Mental Health Awareness Month

Dear Village,

At the halfway point of May's Mental Health Awareness Month, we hope you've been able to focus on your self-care and wellbeing as it is so important. We also want to take a moment to say thank you. With your support and resources enabling Sarah's Village Foundation to make an impact, we're pleased to share the many projects taking place this month to benefit young people in our communities.

In Easton, SVF funded $6.5K to support activities impacting about 1,750 students and faculty, including providing green ribbons and bandanas for 1,000 students to sport this month to raise awareness on mental health, and the funding of VAR (Validate, Appreciate, Refer) Curriculum Training taking place at the May 17th Active Minds Club health fair. Coming up later this month, we'll fund $500 for Dr. Linda Price, child and adolescent psychiatry specialist, to speak 3rd and 4th grade students on Kind Minds.

Though we might not physically be in the room to see the great impact in schools, there are so many valuable resources to learn from to support yourself and those close to you. See below for helpful information and tips and you navigate Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond.

Cynthia, Mark, Thomas and Mollie

Founding Members, Sarah's Village Foundation

P.S. See below for registration details for the second annual Sarah's Village Foundation Zumba Fundraiser! Hope to see you in person or virtually on Saturday, June 22 at 9:30AM.

Helpful Resources

6 Sustainable Habits of Happy People: Practice these easy tasks in your every day!

Mindfulness

Expressing Gratitude

Human Connection

Get Moving

Dropping Grudges

Practice Kindness

And, Seize the Awkward! Find tips to start your own conversations and spot the signs that a close one may be struggling, thanks to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), The JED Foundation, and Ad Council.

From Our Partners

The JED Foundation offers a hub of mental health awareness resources to boost your well-being and protect your emotional health this month. Their theme, "Grow Forward Together," inspires us to build resilience within ourselves and across our communities, highlighting mental health as a shared journey where we support one another.

Tune into "Healthier Together: A Path to a Better World", a mini docuseries presented by the WHO Foundation, or get inspiration from former Dance Moms star Nia Siox with Kenzie Ziegler, GAYLE and others in a new "Capture the Convo" video series.

Promoting 988

The Kacie Palm Project for Youth Suicide Prevention, started by Steve and Kerry Palm in honor of their daughter, Kacie, are promoting the suicide and crisis lifeline this month with a billboard on route 24. The electronic scrolling board features 6 ads every minute that cycle through photos, with Sarah included. Pictured above is Sarah's photo along with Shea Barnes, a student from Norton. We met the Palm family in 2017 at an AFSP Suicide Survivor event and thank them for their partnership and leadership in such an important project.