May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In this article, you will learn some facts about Mental Health and learn what organizations are doing to participate this month.

Mental Health Month was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives, and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. Mental health is essential for a person’s overall health. In 2020, about one in five American adults experienced a mental health issue, and one in 6 young people experienced a major depressive episode. One in 20 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.

Lots of organizations and schools participate in a calendar of events, each day they have events that specialize in mental health like team building activities. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, this May, ESPN will amplify stories and voices within the sports world that pull back the curtain on the inner workings of how athletes, coaches, and other sports figures live with the highs and lows of mental health and why the path to recovery is not always linear.

On May 2nd, the Mental Health Education Club at Niles North will begin tying green ribbons around our trees and putting up some signs to help increase awareness about May being Mental Health Awareness Month. This is in collaboration with the community based “Turn Our Towns Green” initiative. Press release below. Any questions, please contact Kerry Powell at kerpow@d219.org

Paws for Patrick, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting teens and young adults living with mental illness with emotional support animals, will “Turn Our Towns Green” in honor of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month.  More than 22 communities across the Chicagoland area will accept donations and hand out green ribbons and lawn signs from May 1-31 to bring attention to the stigma surrounding mental health. Niles Township High School District 219, the residents and local businesses, are encouraged to tie green ribbons on trees around their homes and stores/offices to show continual community support and awareness of mental health.

For more information on green ribbon and lawn sign pick up, a calendar of Paws for Patrick’s Mental Health Awareness activities and how to bring the “Turn Our Towns Green” campaign to your community, please visit www.pawsforpatrick.org.

Founded by the Roemer Family of Lake Forest, Paws for Patrick honors their late son Patrick who struggled with anxiety and mental illness.