KNOXVILLE - The BHAC and Helen Ross McNabb Center are teaming up to present the Community Awareness Celebration on Market Square in Knoxville on Friday, Oct. 10 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Community Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of mental illness, reduce stigma and celebrate diversity within the community. This year Krisha and Opie Joe of Q100.3 will serve as emcees and visitors will be able to sing and dance along with music and performances by Circle Modern Dance. There will also be food, door prizes and a pie eating contest! Community Day is completely free to the public.
Organizations from the Knoxville area will be represented at Community Day with booths set up providing information about their services. Community Day’s success relies on community partners from the Knoxville area. For instance, Wal-Mart is providing drinks, and Target is coordinating a photo booth.
Community Day is a traditional part of Mental Illness Awareness Week. Mental illness affects one in five individuals in this county. Whether directly or indirectly through family members, mental illness has a keen impact on an individual. MIAW is designed to promote awareness and to provide information regarding mental health issues to the community. For more information regarding Community Day contact Pamela Coleman, 865-544-3841 ext. 4127.
Through October 31, pieces of art created by consumers of area mental health services will be on display at Union Ave Books and the City-County Building in downtown Knoxville, and Knox County Libraries (Cedar Bluff and Burlington branches). During October’s First Friday festivities on Friday, October 3, Union Ave Books will hold a special reception and viewing of the art on site. As Helen Ross McNabb’s niece, the bookstore’s owner, Flossie McNabb, has a special interest in mental health awareness. Helen Ross McNabb advocated for and started one of Tennessee’s first child guidance clinics. Later, the Helen Ross McNabb Center was named in her honor. To find out more information about Helen Ross McNabb, visit: www.mcnabbcenter.org/history.
