BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Bowling Green community members came together at the Wood County Fairgrounds Friday to have fun and talk about the importance of mental health, with a little early Halloween fun for National Mental Health Awareness Week.
NAMI Wood County hosted its annual After Burn event, featuring a chili cook-off, trunk-or-treat and more family friendly activities for everyone.
Practically everyone seemed to be in costume for the event, except for Bowling Green State University police officer Corey Dimodica. He decorated his car for the trunk-or-treat event instead. He said he loves being part of NAMI's events and the organization has deemed him a champion since he supports advocacy efforts for mental wellness for everyone.
"The big phrase that we always say is, 'it's okay not to be okay," Dimodica said. "If you have something going on and you're just not okay, let's talk to somebody and get back to being okay."
Dimodica has been a BGSU officer since 2016 and has wanted to be in law enforcement since he was a kid. He said NAMI's messages and mental health resources have helped not only the students he's worked with, but him as well.
"A lot of what we do with them is meaningful and helps project them into their future careers," he said. "Knowing what resources we can offer them to get through their college journey is important to me."
Whether it's students, first responders or families, NAMI's goal is to get the message about mental health awareness out to the public. Executive Director Jessica Hartman said those who can't attend events like the After Burn should check out their social media platforms. She said the topic of mental health isn't too complicated for anyone, as long as it's explained correctly for the person's age.
"One in five individuals are living with signs and symptoms of a mental health condition," Hartman said. "It's pretty common that families will be affected by mental health conditions."
NAMI Development and Marketing Manager Courtney Rice said all the fun activities at the event are connected with or run by local mental health agencies in an effort to raise awareness for the resources available.
"They're out there promoting their resources, giving out good information. A lot of the great activities are very therapeutic," Rice said. "It's a great way for people to learn some good coping skills tonight too."