An Evening of Hope and Healing is a community event providing information, community resources, and practical, everyday tools to better understand and manage mental health issues including trauma, stress and substance abuse. The Expo will include exhibits and opportunity for discussion with numerous mental health and substance abuse providers from Story County.

An Evening of Hope and Healing will be held on Tuesday, September 25, from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the ISU Memorial Union Great Hall. This event is free to the public and includes door prizes, refreshments, and free parking in the Memorial Union ramp.

Highlights of this event include a heartfelt presentation by nationally renowned speaker, Joan Becker at 7:00 pm. After experiencing family tragedy, Joan transformed her life to become author of the book, Sentenced to Life, a public speaker, and an advocate for individuals with mental illness. Her focus is to open the doors for individuals and families in Iowa to promote change in our mental health system.

According to the National Institute for Mental Health and Centers for Disease Control, in 2014, there were over 43 million adults (18%) in the United States with a mental health disorder. Similarly, 13 percent of children ages 8 to 15 had a diagnosable mental disorder within the previous year. Yet, nearly half of the individuals with mental health issues do not receive counseling or other treatment. Likely reasons for this include stigma, lack of accurate information about mental health, lack of availability of resources, and/or lack of knowledge about how to access local help. Mental health is such a critical issue and it deserves our time and attention.

This event is presented by Ames Police Department, Caremore Health, Community and Family Resources Central Iowa Community Services, Central Iowa Psychological Services, Eyerly Ball, Iowa State University, Lutheran Services in Iowa, NAMI Central Iowa and YSS. This is a call to EVERYONE in Story County. Come to An Evening of Hope and Healing to learn about and support mental health healing for yourself, your family, and your community!

To learn more about this important event visit http://storycountymhexpo.com or contact Geri Derner at 515-291-3010 or gderner@yss.org.