CARMEL – A myriad of services offered to high school students in need of emotional or mental health assistance were showcased during a fair held at Carmel High School on Wednesday.
Realizing the uncertain times facing teenagers today, officials at the organized a Mental Health and Wellness Fair allowing students to see what services local organizations offer.
Students picked up brochures, pinwheels and mints that the groups offered while they stopped to talk to representatives from agencies including the Putnam Community Action Program, the Putnam County Youth Bureau and the LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center.
The biggest draw was Mia, a therapy dog who came with representatives of Exceptional Sidekick, a nonprofit that provides service dogs to disabled teens and young adults.
Kristin Mancini, a counselor at Carmel High School, helps raise puppies for Exceptional Sidekick. She even brings them into the high school.
Mancini noted the health fair benefited both the students as well as the dog. “A school setting gets the dogs used to the sights, sounds and atmosphere of a school which is important because the dogs will be paired with teens and young adults who attend schools.”
Organizations that participated in the Mental Health and Wellness Fair included Putnam Child Advocacy Center, Coordinated Children’s Service Initiative, Cove Care Center, Exceptional Sidekick, Green Chimneys, The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center, Mental Health Association of Putnam County, Prevention Council of Putnam, Carmel Communities that Care Coalition, Putnam Community Action Program, Putnam Youth Bureau and the Putnam-Northern Westchester Women’s Center.
