On Tuesday, Oct. 9, Housatonic Community College (HCC) will join more than 100 colleges and universities across the nation to celebrate Fresh Check Day. This year’s event will be held in the HCC Courtyard from 11:00am-2:00pm. The event promotes awareness of mental health resources and coping strategies for college students. The event is free and open to the public.

Fresh Check Day is sponsored by the HCC Counseling Center and will feature interactive expo booths, peer-to-peer support groups, free food and exciting prizes and giveaways. Fresh Check Day was created in an effort to reduce the stigma and misconceptions that often surround mental health issues and encourage dialogue between students and teachers.

“It’s about promoting connections.” Dr. Indira Reddy, HCC Counselor said. “We should all feel encouraged to ask for help when we need it.”

The information and activities included in Fresh Check Day are intended to empower students to understand warning signs and protocols for helping peers who may show signs of distress.

 “Some students don’t know that help is available,” Dr. Reddy said. “We have a lot of commuter students who don’t always have the chance to make connections. We want them to know that when they walk through these (HCC) doors they’re important to us.”

The HCC Counseling Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00am-6:00pm. For more information on Fresh Check Day, visit http://freshcheckday.com/