For Brandon Christian Church (BCC), the approach of autumn signifies more than just highly anticipated cooler temperatures but also an opportunity to foster awareness for an emerging topic in Hillsborough County: mental health.
On Saturday, September 16, BCC will be hosting its first-ever ‘Fall Into Wellness’ fair, an event designed to facilitate conversation between mental health professionals and members of the surrounding community. Sponsored by Brandon Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), BayCare Behavioral Health and the Florida Psychological Association, the fair will operate between 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on the BCC property. The fair will offer attendees a chance to explore various psychological services and mental health resources made available to them by local providers and practices.
“It’s just reaching out to the community and being able to give people access to mental health professionals and organizations that can help them access resources or support services or whatever is needed to help deal with the issues that they’re struggling with,” said Karlita Konnerth, a member of BCC and the Fall Into Wellness planning committee.
Upon receiving a grant from the Florida Region Disciples of Christ to offset some of the marketing and supply purchases, the BCC planning committee officially began to piece the project together.
Hosted in BCC’s sanctuary, the Fall Into Wellness fair will feature seven speaker sessions, during which each professional/provider will speak on their chosen topic or specialty.
Session topic titles include ‘Mental Health 101’; ‘Cultivating a Healthy Brain’; ‘Drama and Tragedy: An Ancient Approach to Healing’; ‘Psychological Services for First Responders’; ‘Psychological Services for Maternity Clients’; ‘Effective Parenting Strategies’; and ‘Parent Child Interaction Therapy, Testing and Counselling for Kids.’
Additionally, BCC’s fellowship hall will feature booths operated by professionals/providers available to speak more about select topics. Fair attendees will also receive complimentary swag bags provided by BCC, which will include more information about local resources and practices. Light refreshments and children’s activities will also be provided.
Excited to play a role in mental health education, BCC also hopes the Fall Into Wellness event will encourage locals to turn to the church as a center for information on community resources.
“We are a small church striving to not only help the community but also to help get the name of BCC out there,” said Konnerth. “We’re hoping that people will take a look at us and also realize that BCC has a mission to provide community education and information for community resources to help people.”
More information about this event and BCC can be found by visiting https://brandonchristianchurch.org/, going to the Brandon Christian Church Facebook page at @BrandonChristianChurch or calling 813-689-4021. BCC is located at 910 Bryan Rd. in Brandon.
