By Christy Bever, Mary Double, Cheyenne Hillard, Brice Lillibridge, Katelyn Mohler and Dana Parsons
Muskingum University sorority Chi Alpha Nu hosted a Mental Health Awareness Walk on Oct. 12.
The walk followed a route starting on the quad, beside the football field, around the lake, then finishing back on the quad. Over 150 people participated in the event.
Participants were given a Mason jar with a candle where they wrote the names of people they know who have a mental illness.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five adults in the United States experience a mental illness.
According to NAMI’s website, mental health conditions go beyond emotional reactions. They’re medical conditions that cause changes in people’s mind and they’re not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or personal upbringing.
Chi Alpha Nu’s Vice President Junior Sydney Bash created the event to bring awareness to mental health.
Bash’s motivation for the event was Chi Alpha Nu wanted to expand the duties and responsibilities of her position as well as being more active in general as a club in charity work. Bash is a psychology and criminal justice major, and is very passionate about mental health awareness.
$727 was raised during the event and proceeds were donated to The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Money was raised through registration, selling T-shirts, and donations. Extra shirts are still being sold to Chi Alpha Nu alumni, at this time.
Shirts were sold by Chi Alpha Nu for the Mental Health Awareness Walk. Money is still being raised for The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Chi Alpha Nu designed the T-shirts for the event, which were sold during and after the walk.
Proceeding the walk, Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Dinah Meyer spoke about the importance of good mental health.
“In order to take care of your own mental health, it’s so important to keep connections with others…family, friends…social ties are the backbone of mental health. Talk about your concerns and feelings with others and consider seeing a counselor if you need more support. Eat well, exercise, sleep and give to others and ask for help. So, let’s care of yourselves, and let’s take care of each other.”
Bash closed the event with her feelings on the walk’s turn out and encouraged participants to be involved next year.
Following the success of the walk, Chi Alpha Nu plans to make this an annual event.
