Do you or your child ever head into the summer, and feel like you need a refresh?

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The South Bend Empowerment Zone wants you to get that refresh early and have a community conversation about mental health.

South Bend residents were given the chance to have a refreshing start to their weekend Saturday at Washington High School, thanks to the South Bend Empowerment Zone’s Westside Refresh.

The Empowerment Zone is a group made up of five different schools on the west side of South Bend that works to ensure each school gets the service and attention it needs.

Saturday, its mission went beyond just helping the schools. The refresh featured a health fun fair, food trucks, giveaways, and more.

Adrienne Batteast, Director of Student Wellness, said, “We want the community to refresh. It’s definitely needed. The west side is very…a lot of trauma going on and we want the village - because the west side takes a village to raise children - and if everyone is not where they need to be then you can’t refresh yourself that’s why we want to make it fun and refreshing.”

The Westside Refresh was open to all community members, with a theme of wellness in the air and mental health on the mind.

Ryan Yazel, Director of Partnership Development, stated, “Well, one, it’s mental health awareness month. We’re able to come out and just focus on the goodness of self-care and realizing that in life, we need to take care of ourselves and get refreshed a little bit to move forward.”

Several keynote speakers came out to speak directly to parents, whether it was about social media, destigmatizing mental health for men, or for women, and pushing down barriers.

The Empowerment’s Zone's community partnerships were out in full force, and eager to help those in need, as well as provide them with community services.

Yazel went on to say, “We’re able to bring in partnerships from all across the community. People who know how important and great the west side is and went to work with it. So we’re bringing in outside organizations to come and work with our kids and continue to help our kids move forward.”

While the focus of the event was on mental health, the Empowerment Zone went out of its way to make sure that the physical part of the body was taken care of as well.

Health Inc. set up outside the event and offered free sports physicals for kids who may not otherwise have access to a family doctor.

Stacy O’Donnell, Director of Operations at Health Inc., stated, “We are providing the access that they might not have typically. Many of these students don’t have the opportunity to go to a provider or office so we bring it to them. So this allows them to have participation with the sports physicals coming up for this season.”

On top of that, the kids stayed entertained and fit, with the bouncy houses, games, and more.

While the next school year is still several months away, event organizers say Saturday’s event was a way to get a head start now, so you won't have to refresh in the fall.

Yazel added, “So many times life can get heavy, and to have moments like this that celebrate the good things, that shows them how much good is going on in the schools and how much going on the West side - anytime we can celebrate the good stuff like this we’re excited to do that.”

Event organizers estimated that about 250 parents and children came through today, and officials called it a huge success for a first-time event.

If you’d like to learn more about the South Bend Empowerment Zone and where to find more of their upcoming events, visit their website here.