GREENFIELD – Community agencies were out in force at Energy Park on Wednesday, as Clinical & Support Options’ (CSO) annual Mental Health and Wellness Fair returned for its 21st edition.

Held each year, the event is put together to raise awareness of the region’s behavioral health and wellness resources for those with mental health challenges, which all tied into this year’s theme of “unity of community,” as numerous agencies from around Franklin County set up tables to share their services and make connections.

The event is put together by the Green River and Quabbin houses, which are two clubhouse-model peer support programs that focus on strength, talent and abilities. CSO Director of Clubhouses Kim Thibault-Britt said the fair is an example of what these folks can accomplish together.

“Our membership, along with our staff, lead a work-ordered day inside the clubhouses and focus on employment and education within our local communities,” Thibault-Britt said. “We build consensus and take on projects as a team. And for 20 years, the Mental Health and Wellness Fair has been an exemplary product of what we can achieve together.”

At the fair, Thibault-Britt and Oldmixon said the goal is “lifting the public consciousness” around mental health and “reducing the stigma” associated with those challenges. 

Among the agencies set up in Energy Park Wednesday were the Greenfield and Erving police departments, Tapestry, The Salasin Project and the Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority, along with numerous others.

“It’s just as important that we see each other,” said CSO Vice President of Marketing and Development Geoffrey Oldmixon, noting that CSO and the other organizations on hand “have overlapping services,” so it’s essential to build partnerships.

The Mental Health and Wellness fair began in 2002 in CSO’s parking lot on Wells Street and it has steadily grown under the leadership of the Green River and Quabbin houses. In an announcement, CSO President and CEO Karin Jeffers said the fair symbolizes the community’s commitment to mental health resources.

“Franklin County is an exceptional place because the continuum of care here is so well connected,” Jeffers said. “Here, we have various nonprofit organizations and human services departments all working quite well together in a cohesive way — and that’s what the Mental Health & Wellness Fair has been working to accomplish for over 20 impactful years.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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