Mental health services focus of block party
The sound of music and the smell of food filled the air and the sight of the young and not-so-young filled the downtown Butler streets.
And all the fun Saturday was for a good cause.
It was the first Recovery & Resource Block Party sponsored by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services CARE Center.
Vendors hawked hot dogs, sausage, kettle corn and other treats and sold crafts and various wares on Main Street between Jefferson and Brady streets.
There was live musical entertainment and even a bounce house for the kids.
But there was something more to the day-long street-type festival than just fun and games.
Lending their support to the event were many other nonprofit organizations, volunteers and sponsors who had come to shed light on the stigmas surrounding mental illness.
From their booths, they offered help and hope.
“Families are always calling and not knowing where to turn to get help,” said organizer Roy Remone. “I wanted to bring the help out here because there are so many agencies that nobody's ever heard of.
“I wanted to bring them all to one spot. I wanted to bring the agencies to the community,” he said.Remone serves as volunteer coordinator for the Butler Mental Health Association's Compeer program.The Compeer program pairs people struggling with mental illness with a supportive adult. The project's goals are to encourage rehabilitation or coping through friendship.A U.S. Navy veteran, Remone's work is to provide one-to-one supportive friendships between veterans on the path to mental health recovery and those veterans established in civilian life.In all, more than two dozen agencies and organizations registered for Saturday's block party staged in conjunction with the sixth annual Mental Health Awareness Walk.The Butler County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness organized the walk that started Saturday morning at Diamond Park. The walk is staged each year to kick off May as Mental Health Month.Kelli McKevitt, chief operating officer at Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services, volunteered at her agency's booth. She was pleased with Saturday's turnout.“A lot of people seem to be enjoying themselves, and they're getting a lot of information about resources here in Butler,” she said. “They're stopping by to gather information and ask about service.“But we've also had other professionals come by and exchange information, more or less, of how we can help individuals that we mutually work with,” said McKevitt.Getting the word out that people care and there are programs and services available, she said, is the best way to combat the stigma that plagues those suffering mental illness.And she thinks things are getting better.
“We do both mental health and substance- abuse services across five counties,” she said, “and these past few years we're seeing a lot of progress in that area where people are understanding that mental health and emotional wellness falls right in line with your medical and physical health.”Remone said he believes there is a relationship between mental health and substance abuse. And he knows it is not uncommon for those with mental health issues, particularly depression and anxiety, to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol.While serving in the Navy, Remone suffered a traumatic brain injury. Mental health issues developed but rather than seek help, he turned to alcohol. His life changed when he reached out.“Once I finally got medication and diagnosed with my problem,” he said, “then I knew what I could work on. I've been blessed. I've been sober now coming up on 10 years.”His personal experience is why he wants others to know there is help available.“That's why I'm so involved with this here,” he said, looking out on Main Street and the different mental health agencies manning booths.“It helped me out so much that I just have to let everybody know that this is out there and there's help for everybody,” he said.
