In order to raise awareness on mental health, the Bellows Free Academy club Hope Happens Here has put together several events for the week of Feb. 7-11.

BFA business teacher and club adviser, Mary Brouillette, said, “Every day during advisory a student will announce what is happening for the day and give out a mental health fact.” 

Brouillette added, “During advisory Tuesday and Wednesday, H[ope] H[appens] H[ere] members will go to each advisory and give a resource card to each advisor for the classroom and share with students what HHH is and offer them the opportunity to enter the raffle. The raffle will give students the opportunity to win local restaurant gift cards.”  

The local restaurants on the gift cards include places such as Mimmo’s and Eastern Dragon. The raffle is open to all students.

In addition to the chance of winning a gift card, “during lunch on [Tuesday and Wednesday] HHH members will have a table near the cafeteria to give HHH shirts, bracelets, stickers, resources and offer students the opportunity to participate in the raffle,” Brouillette said.

As well as the chance to obtain gift cards and HHH items, the BFA Bobwhites and Comet teams are also getting involved by mentioning Hope Happens Here and mental health awareness on game days.

“Thursday the girls’ basketball team will wear the HHH shirts during warmups and two of the players will speak before the game…for the hockey games, two players will speak before each game,” Brouillette said. In addition to this, the Bobwhite basketball team will have a halftime knockout contest in order to raise awareness.

Brouillette also mentioned that “students/staff will be encouraged to wear their HHH shirts to school” this Friday.