NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Mental Health Task Force and Fight the Stigma are coming together for a Community Photo Event Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson.
"Fight the Stigma is all about educating and advocating for mental health and mental health awareness," said Jaime Garcia with Fight the Stigma. "A lot of people don't even know what the word stigma means and that's a negative set of beliefs about, it could really be about anything, but a negative set of beliefs about mental health and so our role as always and has been is educating and advocating."
The Thursday event is about getting connected and knowing that if you struggle with mental health issues, you are not alone.
"This is going to be a rather short event but very impactful I feel," Garcia said. "We are going to have a guest speaker and he's going to tell his story, his own personal story with mental health and his journey through his life with it. We are going to have several mental health resources. Horizons will be there, Tyler Vance from Horizons will be there to talk about their services.
Emily Parker from Milestone Clubhouse will also talk about what they do, but the highlight of the night is going to be the group photo.
"Everyone who attends they'll get a free raffle ticket as they enter the gate and those will be raffled off at some point," Garcia said. "The highlight of the evening will be a big aerial photograph that we are having taken to really show all of us together we are trying to pack that stadium so bring everybody bring your co-workers and your whole families because we want to pack that stadium and make a really cool and unique aerial photograph and put Reno County on the map for World Mental Health Day."
Attendees are encouraged to wear lime green or black for the photo.