The nonprofit behavioral health agency Clinical & Support Options (CSO) will hold its 20th annual Mental Health and Wellness Fair on Wednesday at Energy Park in Greenfield, pictured. Staff File Photo/Paul Franz
The nonprofit behavioral health agency Clinical & Support Options (CSO) will hold its 20th annual Mental Health and Wellness Fair on Wednesday at Energy Park in Greenfield, pictured. Staff File Photo/Paul Franz
GREENFIELD — The nonprofit behavioral health agency Clinical & Support Options (CSO) will hold its 20th annual Mental Health and Wellness Fair at Energy Park on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine.
As described in a CSO press release, the fair continues a tradition of “showcasing our region’s behavioral health and wellness resources and reducing stigma associated with mental health challenges.” This year’s event is a return to in-person live music, vendor booths, food trucks, games and activities following a two-year period where the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated virtual celebration. Admission is free.
“It’s nice to be able to come back in person and remind people that there are smiling faces and robust services that are ready to help,” said Geoffrey Oldmixon, CSO’s associate vice president of marketing and development.
According to the release, the Mental Health and Wellness Fair first began in 2002 at Our Place, a former day program on Wells Street in Greenfield. Since then, the fair has evolved “under the auspices of its two clubhouse programs” in the Green River House in Greenfield and the Quabbin House in Orange. Oldmixon described clubhouses as being “essentially models of support for individuals with mental health challenges” that connect members with appropriate people who can help.
“The clubhouse model is one that emerged mid-20th century,” CSO’s Director of Clubhouses Kim Thibault-Britt noted in the release. “The idea is that a clubhouse community can come together to help one another succeed at leading healthy and productive lives.”
A variety of community partners will be in attendance, including MassHire, CleanSlate, The RECOVER Project, the Salasin Project, the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT), the Stavros Center for Independent Living, the Disability Law Center and the Greenfield Police Department.
The theme of this year’s fair is “Stronger Together.” According to the release, CSO plans to emphasize how those struggling with mental health issues “can manage — and even thrive — when immersed in a peer community that is work-focused and wholly supportive.”
“They wanted a theme that reflected the 20-year commitment, but also one that represented a return to in-person events,” Oldmixon said of how the clubhouses chose “Stronger Together.”
“Our membership, along with our staff, lead a work-ordered day inside the clubhouses and focus on employment and education within our local communities,” Thibault-Britt said in the release. “We build consensus and take on projects as a team. And for 20 years, the Mental Health and Wellness Fair has been an exemplary product of what we can achieve together.”
Establishment of a longstanding tradition within the region has been aided by the community-mindedness of its residents. Oldmixon said this cultivation of a strong community bond is what has evolved most over two decades.
“Franklin County is an exceptional place because the continuum of care here is so well-connected,” CSO President and CEO Karin Jeffers said in the release. “We have various nonprofit organizations and human services departments all working quite well together in a cohesive way — and that’s what the Mental Health and Wellness Fair has been working to accomplish for 20 impactful years.”
Reach Julian Mendoza
at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.
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