Annual Celebration to Kick Off Mental Health Awareness Month in Centre County

Skills of Central PA will host its 19th Annual Mental Health Awareness Month Kickoff Celebration at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 1. For the second consecutive year, the event will take place at the Wasson Farm event barn, 2545 Shingletown Road, State College. 

Admission is free and open to all for the celebration, which will include a full schedule of live music, free food, activities, vendors, door prizes and compelling stories.

Local musician Eric Ian Farmer will get the celebration started when the doors open at 5 p.m. A free Wasson ice cream scoop will be given to every attendee, along with other complimentary snacks for all.  At the same time, the vendor fair will open inside the barn and activities will begin.

The formal program begins at 5:30 p.m., with speakers sharing stories of inspiration, success, hope and recovery.  The music and vendor fair will resume at about 6:45 p.m. and lead up to the door prize drawing. 

Health and human service providers and other organizations that are key to mental health in Centre County will participate in the event. In addition to the vendors who will be connecting with Centre County residents during the evening, corporate sponsors help to make the event possible. 

Presenting sponsor Centre Helps / 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will be part of the vendor fair, handing out valuable resources and answering questions, while promoting their website, www.centrehelps.org.  The Meadows joins Centre Helps, Skills of Central PA and the Opportunity Centre Clubhouse as major contributors to the event.

The 2025 event committee is made up of mental health professionals serving as volunteers and has been meeting and working on various elements of the celebration for several months.