Photos | Kelsey Morris, A.J. Chauffe
On Sept. 10, the ATU Student Activities Board hosted its second annual “Creating Hope Through Action” event to raise awareness of how to handle mental health crises.
To kick off the event, Lisa Crider, wellness case manager in the Health and Wellness Center, spoke to students about what to do if you are in a situation where you need to help a friend contemplating suicide.
“I come and give these lectures to people because I want to help the most people that I can,” said Crider. “If I can impact somebody in any way, then I am going to try.”
The event was organized by the SAB Educational Chair, Kadance Lane.
“Suicide prevention and awareness is something that is so important to our society right now because mental health is a very big focus for a lot of people,” said Lane. “Just making sure that people are equipped for how to handle this kind of situation and making sure we know how to navigate that as best as we can is a very important skill for people to have.”
Following the lecture, attendees made their way to the bear-making station to choose between three types of teddy bears. Each bear came unstuffed and with a white SAB t-shirt, allowing students room for personalization. Stickers and bracelets featuring encouraging messages were also provided.
“My favorite part of this event is being able to help educate people and extend their awareness of people around them and hopefully make an impact that way,” said Crider. “I want to help them be mindful of themselves and their peers because ultimately we’re all college students, life is hard, and we want to make sure that we make it as easy as we can for everybody.”
To inspire students and faculty members to keep going, SAB adopted their own bear named Hope.
“When in doubt, seek help. Don’t be afraid to reach out to me [or anybody at the Health and Wellness Center] at any time.” Said Crider.
For more information, contact the Health and Wellness Center at (479)- 968- 0329. Lisa Crider is also available by email at [email protected].
