North Country Community Mental Health  is announcing May is Mental Health Month. “Where To Start: Mental Health in a Changing World” is this year’s theme for North Country’s May is Mental Health Month activities to remind us that dealing with life’s pressures can be overwhelming, and everyone deserves to feel supported and empowered to seek help when needed.

“Mental Health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental illnesses are common and treatable,” said Brian Babbitt, NCCMH Chief Executive Officer. “While society is getting more comfortable discussing mental health, it can still be hard to know where to start when it comes to taking care of your own well-being.”

“Throughout May, we will host various events and initiatives to raise awareness, encourage self-care, and connect people with resources,” said Babbitt.

NCCMH has planned the following activities during the month of May:

Saturday, May 18, 2024 – 24^th Annual Splash of Color Fun Run & Walk for Mental Health Awareness beginning at the Festival Place Shelter (200 Wachtel) in Petoskey. The Fun Run is a 5K course with colorful checkpoints. There will simultaneously be a Walk for Mental Health Awareness for anyone not running the 5K. The run will begin at 10:00 a.m. and the walk at 10:30 a.m. All proceeds from the event are donated to our Client Special Needs Fund, helping our clients achieve their treatment goals. There will be prizes and giveaways and fun “Splash of Color” paint throws! Cost is $10 per person. Register at www.eventbrite.com or https://tinyurl.com/sczbc7rz. You can also register the morning of the event from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m at the Petoskey Festival Place Shelter.

May 1-31 – Creative Writing and Art Display in Petoskey – At Petoskey District Library (500 E Mitchell), view the finished creative writing pieces that were developed at a Write It! Writer’s Workshop in April for people living with mental health challenges as well as artwork created by people with mental illness.

Mental Health First Aid Free Virtual Trainings for the Community – Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) classes will be offered twice in May: on May 2 and 3, and May 6 and 17, all from 9 AM to 1 PM. The Adult MHFA class will be May 14 and 15 from 11 AM to 3 PM. The public is invited to register using the links below. These events come with a valuable manual and are provided at no cost to the community thanks to a grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Adult MHFA Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/39huxa9f. Youth MHFA Registration Link: https://tinyurl.com/4fw5prdd.

#Tools4Resilience Virtual Education Series – During the lunch hour (12-1 PM) every Tuesday and Wednesday in May, NCCMH will team up with Northern Lakes CMH to provide a virtual education program on a variety of mental health/well-being topics. Register for one or all of the talks using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/6fYkHuQMdU. The Tools4Resilience topics are as follows: May 1, Social Media and Mental Health, featuring Community Services Trooper Corey Hebner of the Gaylord Michigan State Police Post; May 7 Protecting Yourself Online with IT experts; May 8, Stories of Hope and Recovery, featuring members of Petoskey Club, New Horizons Clubhouse, Traverse House Clubhouse and Club Cadillac sharing their experiences and advice on living with mental illness and stigma; May 14, There is No Expiration Date on Grief, about dealing with grief; May 15, Somewhere Over The Rainbow: In Search of Health, Humor and Happiness, about building a personalized set of coping tools in handling stress; May 21, Get Wise and Energize Your Eating, about healthy eating choices and new trends in nutrition; May 22, Practical Tools to Help Children and Adolescent with Complex Needs, focusing on bringing healing and caring help to children who have experienced adversity, early harm, toxic stress, and/or trauma; May 28, Finding Clarity to Navigate Multicultural Environments and the transformative process of becoming more culturally adept; and May 29, Managing Stress.

Free Community Movies – At 1 PM both on Tuesday, May 21, at the Brutus Friendship Center (6436 E Brutus Rd, Brutus), and on Tuesday, May 28, at the Petoskey Friendship Center (1322 Anderson Rd, Petoskey), there will be a free viewing of the movie, Skid Row Marathon. This is an ambitious, inspiring, and thought-provoking documentary in which Craig Mitchell, a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, leads the long-distance runners’ club out of the Midnight Mission on Skid Row. They raise spirits and give a sense of purpose to people who are homeless, addicted, or coming out of the prison system. At both locations there will also be a short presentation on mental health and aging after the movie.

Free Family-Friendly Community Events – Staff from each of NCCMH’s six community-based clinics are planning a series of fun and informative events and activities to support various aspects of our mental health and well-being. The special events are:

• Wednesday, May 15, 1-4:30 PM, May Day – A Recipe for Mental Health in Cheboygan: Outside the North Country Cheboygan office (825 S Huron, Ste 4) North Country wellness “chefs” will engage visitors to complete a “plate” of fun, interactive activities to support resiliency and wellness. Fill your plate and be entered into a drawing for door prizes. Also, a “Hall of Fame” featuring T-shirts decorated by people who receive mental health services will be displayed. Refreshments will be provided.
• Tuesday, May 21, 1-4 PM, Grow Through What You Go Through in Petoskey: At the Bear River Shelter Park (399 Quaintance Ave), join us in painting a terra-cotta pot and planting a flower or seed to watch it grow! Learn self-care activities and boost mental health practices while reconnecting with nature.
• Wednesday, May 22, 1-3 PM Back To Roots in Bellaire: At the Richardi Park Pavilion in Bellaire (402 N Bridge St), we will be planting plants for participants to take home and painting flowers on canvas. A yoga instructor will lead stretches on the beach. Refreshments will be provided.
• Thursday, May 23, 1-4 PM Mental Health and Finding Balance in a Digital World: At the Charlevoix Public Library in Charlevoix (220 W Clinton St), visit a variety of booths, each with an activity and information about wellness and balance, with or without digital supports. Door prizes, giveaways, and refreshments will be provided.
• Thursday, May 23, 1-4 PM Mental Health on Main in Gaylord: At the Pavilion on Court (downtown Gaylord), participate in activities directed toward learning how modern life affects mental health, building your coping toolbox, and advocating to improve mental health for yourself, your friends and family, and your community. Join in a downtown stroll, outdoor games, chair massages, and more!
• Wednesday, May 29, 3-6 PM Community Appreciation Event in Kalkaska: At the North Country Kalkaska Office (on the campus of Kalkaska Memorial Health Center at 515 South Birch), join us for a meal and dessert and take part in three learning opportunities: Encourage others in the community with rock painting. Discover how to navigate your and your children’s mental health while being online. Learn about mindfulness and meditation while using the walking labyrinth.

21-Day Stigma Challenge – The Northwest Community Health Innovation Region (NW-CHIR)’s Behavioral Health Initiative is launching a 21-Day Stigma Challenge on May 1. This challenge is designed to educate residents and stakeholders from every sector about the negative effects of stigma against mental illness and substance use disorders, how to recognize it, and provide tools to fight it. Each day will include a curated set of short videos and/or articles/toolkits to read and recommended actions to take to fight stigma. Each “Take Action” Activity that participants complete will count as one entry into the 21-Day Stigma Challenge Completion Drawing. At the end of the challenge, five people will be randomly selected from the pool to win $100 gift cards. Anyone may participate by signing up at this link (https://tinyurl.com/bdfwhzpv).