During May, which is National Mental Health Awareness Month, Santa Barbara’s Mental Wellness Center has a number of events planned throughout the county to raise awareness of the importance of mental health issues.
The nonprofit Mental Wellness Center (MWC) has been providing mental health support for more than 75 years, ensuring access to all community members; and offering free bilingual services, either in person or remotely.
This year, a variety of local activities, from Santa Barbara to Buellton, are timed to coincide with the national movement.
MWC’s Green Ribbon Campaign kicks off May’s events that encourage local residents and businesses to display a green ribbon in their homes and workplaces. The green ribbon is the international symbol of mental health awareness, and displaying it demonstrates solidarity.
“The green ribbon is a way to visually raise awareness of critical mental health issues, while unifying the community,” said Annmarie Cameron, Mental Wellness Center’s CEO.
MWC is also bringing back its Artful Minds arts fair, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 4 on the beachfront opposite Chase Palm Park. The annual display showcases the talents of some 60 local artists living with mental illness. Their visual mediums include painting, drawing, jewelry and sculpture.
New this year will be an enlarged, interactive banner, inviting community members to share personal sentiments regarding what mental health means to them.
The collaborative banner will then be displayed for the remainder of the month at 617 Garden St., in front of MWC offices. Santa Barbara’s City Arts Department is a partner in this effort.
Three local high schools also are partnering with MWC to extend the impact of the Green Ribbon campaign, and engage a wider and younger audience.
Working with Wellness Connection Councils (a leadership program during club hours that educates and empowers students to become mental health advocates on their high school campuses) initiatives will take place at Dos Pueblos, San Marcos and Santa Barbara high schools, reflecting how each school will promote May is Mental Health Awareness Month to their student body.
On Saturday, May 18, Alma Rosa Winery will host its fifth annual Peace of Mind: 10,000 Steps in the Right Direction fundraising walk. The 4.5 mile walk throughout the 628-acre estate, was launched in 2020 by Alma Rosa Proprietors Bob and Barb Zorich to support mental health community services, as well as fund research on the causes, treatment and potential cures for anxiety and depression.
Over the last four years, the winery has raised over $745,000 for the two organizations. The Zorich Family will be matching individual donations dollar-for-dollar, up to $35,000 to both One Mind and Mental Wellness Center in Santa Barbara, and corporate sponsorships up to an additional $25,000.
To sign up, donate or start a fundraising campaign for the May 18 walk, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Buellton/PeaceofMind10000StepsintheRightDirection.
Learn more about Mental Wellness Center at https://mentalwellnesscenter.org.