Now in its third year, National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day is an opportunity for communities and organizations to promote positive youth development, resilience, recovery, and the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families. By working toward these goals, individuals and organizations across the country dispel the stigma and ignorance that prevents people from getting the help they need.

According to a recent report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a classroom of 30 children may have as many as two to four students with mental health needs. This statistic is important because untreated mental health disorders interfere with the ability to learn, which over time impacts:

** the student's ability to graduate from high school,
** to get a good paying job, and
** to reach full learning and earning potential.

One of the biggest barriers to getting help is stigma related to mental illness and the ignorance that feeds into it. The same report says that many youth with mental health and substance abuse disorders did not get help because:

• ** they did not know where to go for services,
• ** feared neighbors or community would have a negative opinion,
• ** feared it might have a negative impact on their jobs,
• ** believed treatment would not help,
• ** feared being committed or having to take medicine, and
• ** did not want others to find out.

This stigma and ignorance are being addressed, in part, by "Celebrating the Success of our Families" Awareness Day activities. Just last year, for instance, local communities in at least 30 states, as well as in Guam and Puerto Rico, held events like information fairs, awards receptions, and legislative and gubernatorial proclamations. Each of these activities reflected the values and needs of those who held them, all were united under one common purpose: showing that children and youth can and do make positive and meaningful contributions to society.

Nationally, Awareness Day's activities have been no less successful and significant. This May will mark the third consecutive year of Capitol Hill briefings by Awareness Day partners on child and youth mental health issues. Awareness Day is the catalyst for this briefing, as it enhances collaboration among the nation's leading mental health organizations, providing them with an opportunity to educate our nation's most powerful lawmakers about this very important subject.

For more information about how you can participate in Awareness Day with Erie County, contact: Family Voices Network of Erie County, Deborah Porter at 716-898-6134 or visit our website at: www.familyvoicesnetwork.org to see what we have planned for this year ... also our 3 rd Year of raising awareness and promoting mental wellness in our community.

The Way we make a difference in ErieCounty is by supporting events and causes that are precious to us and our children, youth and families. We encourage you to help us show families that the struggles they go through with their children and youth benefits our society in the long run.