NETWORKING

Exercise is a great way to prioritize mental health, and keep your heart healthy! A hike up “A” mountain was an opportunity for us as a Mission Team to connect with each other, and to illustrate the need to bring physical health into the mental health conversations. This hike which was lead by MT 18 member and Section Lead Logan Mizuba, and was an awesome way to get out, have fun and enjoy the sun, and also bring awareness to the importance of physical health on mental health.

Mental health and eating disorders are closely interconnected. There are numerous diagnosis for someone struggling with disordered eating such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, etc. These are serious illnesses that have significant impact on a person's physical health, mental well-being, even impacting an individual’s quality of life. the Mission Team Discussion Squad consisting of members: Valerie Rodriguez, Brooke Berg, Aditi Kelwalkar, and Smarth Kapoor, tackled this challenging topic which included conversations about different triggers, genetic predispositions, environmental influences, family dynamic, and psychological stressors. If you or someone you know is struggling with disordered eating, it is critical to seek professional help.

According to the National Institute of Health, the increasing rates of elder abuse and neglect has significant ramifications on mental health. Love for our Elders was an amazing event that allowed for us as a mission team to advocate for this community, and to write meaningful letters to elders all over the world. With the intention of bringing about awareness to the stigma around the elderly community, this event was a step to counteract society's ignorance to the seniors one letter a a time. Learn more at: https://loveforourelders.org

The story of Ben’s Bells is characterized by loss, and hope. In 2002, Ben’s Bell’s founder, Jeannette Maré's lost her son Ben, prompting her to create ceramic wind chimes with loved ones to aid in their healing. This sparked the idea for Ben's Bells, which aims to teach the impact of intentional acts of kindness. Four hundred bells were randomly distributed in Tucson on the first anniversary of Jeannette’s son, Ben’s, death, which started a ripple effect of people sharing stories of grief and healing. Ben's Bells has since become a nonprofit, distributing thousands of bells and reaching over 1.6 million students with kindness education programming.

Learn more about Ben’s Bells: https://bensbells.org/about/founder-story/