Face painting, petting zoo, tai chi, jiu-jitsu among the events planned
(Seguin) – A local group is wanting to help you live your best life both physically and mentally. NAMI Guadalupe County will be bringing the community together this weekend for a day of fun and resources surrounding mental health.
In observance of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, will be hosting its first ever Your Best Life Festival: Happy Healthy Whole from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in downtown Seguin.
Barbara Vinson, the founder of the local chapter of NAMI, says the free event is designed to get people talking about mental illness.
“We are hosting this event for three reasons. We are wanting to outreach. It’s our gift to the community because NAMI of Guadalupe County gives free support groups for people living with a mental illness as well as family members dealing with someone with a mental health condition. We also give free programming to the community, so we are free, and we want to tell the community, here is our gift to you that is free. Learn about NAMI. What is NAMI? It’s an outreach plus we are hoping to get volunteers. Plus, we are hoping to get membership and people to be knowledgeable. Call us. We are here. We can help,” said Vinson.
Vinson says this weekend, 33 different resources and fun activities will be available for families to enjoy.
“They will have games and something to engage young children. They will also have free information for you. We will have a bag for you from Randolph Brooks. You can put information in there. We will have a bouncy house for free. We have a petting zoo coming for free. We have a face painter coming for free. We will have demonstrations of jiu jitsu, tai chi, yoga, some sort of Zumba demonstration, there will be disc golf for the kids, there will be a coloring table for the kids so it’s very very family friendly. Chick-fil-A and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels will be there. We are just asking that you bring a canned good for the Christian Cupboard. So, we want it to be family friendly and we want people to know about mental health,” said Vinson.
Vinson says hopefully, this event will make it easier way for some people to get the information that they need and deserve.
“We want people to stop by, gather information, put it in your bag, ask questions. This is a very informal way to get the information that you need, resources that you need. No names just come around, have a good time, explore what Guadalupe County has for you out there. People don’t know and they don’t know NAMI. They don’t know we are here to help,” said Vinson.
NAMI is a non-profit organization aimed at providing education, advocacy and support to families and individuals affected by mental illness.