The National Alliance on Mental Illness Mahoning Valley organized its annual Mental Health Matters Walk at Austintown Township Park with the goal of raising awareness about mental health. The event featured wellness providers, vendors, yoga sessions, music, and 50/50 and basket raffles throughout the day.
Funds raised from the walk will be used to provide free support, education, and resources to individuals dealing with mental illness in the Valley.
Hope Haney, the executive director of NAMI Mahoning Valley, emphasized the organization’s peer-based approach, where everyone associated with NAMI has personal experience with mental illness either in themselves or in their families. This firsthand experience allows NAMI to better understand the challenges people face.
The walk began in 2010 in Canfield and has been held at Austintown Park since 2015.
