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Mental Health Awareness Week

Joanna Hua

Mental Health Awareness Week is in full swing at Cornell, and Alpha Phi Omega – Gamma Chapter is always a supporter of mental health and taking care of yourself! This week, co-chaired by APO’s pledge master Joanna Hua, is taking place in a variety of ways.

Lift Your Spirits Day is just one of many events during the week, in which different organizations collaborated to present mental health information in conjunction with their organizations’ goals. This intersectionality was explored by ~300 students, who went to tables and engaged in deep discussion about mental health, in exchange for a stamp, collecting enough stamps to get free food. Cornell Health was there, handing out sleep kits that featured our very own blindfolds, as we recently donated them due to caution around new Cornell policies.  Hillel and MECA were there to discuss intersectionality of religion with mental health, ConsentEd presented mental health encompassed in sexual assault and violence, and Anabel’s Groceries gave students the chance to explore how food insecurity affected mental wellness, among many other tables.

While these booths were operating, APO volunteers helped with not only the setup and cleanup of the event but also with the facilitation of moving traffic through the PSB atrium, as well as ensuring that mental health education was being absorbed while eating free pizza and insomnia cookies.  It was an incredible experience to be involved in Mental Health Awareness Week and to start and continue the conversation of the importance of mental health.

This is also a great reminder that Jenkins, one of APO’s families, champions mental health as their family service cause.  The brotherhood as a whole takes mental health incredibly seriously, and we all hope that people are taking the time to take care of themselves and to remember that the entire brotherhood is always standing behind you, supporting you through your time at Cornell and beyond.