When we stop and think about the needs of those around us it makes us more compassionate. In Benton and Franklin Counties indicators show that at any given time around 10% of people are struggling with poor mental health for two weeks or more. Think of that out of ten of your friends there is a good chance that at least one of them is dealing with depression or anxiety severe enough to disrupt their lives. Poor mental health impacts the quality of life of individuals and their families.
With adolescents it seems that mental health concerns are even more serious. In our community 21% of youth report having suicidal ideation in the recent past and 36% report having depression in the last year. That is 1 in 3 struggling with depression in our High Schools.
Emmaus is planning a celebration dinner in a couple weeks. We are excited to have Mary Coleman as our guest speaker. This is our main fundraising event of the year. Your support helps Emmaus impact the very real needs of our community. If you are interested in attending please follow the “Brown Paper Tickets” link.