Gathering Hope House holds mental health walk

Members of the Gathering Hope House, a group that offers services for individuals with a mental health diagnosis, walked May 16 at Lakeview Park, 1800 W. Erie Ave. in Lorain, to raise awareness for mental health. “This is the third time we have done this, and the goal is to raise awareness about mental health and let the community see that it affects a lot of lives in Lorain County,” said Betty J. Weaver, executive director of the Gathering Hope House. Weaver said the Gathering Hope House recently partnered with NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) and using its mantra, “label jars ... not people.” “It looks at individuals and says they are greater than their diagnosis,” she said. “We want to stop people from getting labeled and not being treated as people. “Folks with a mental health diagnosis are regular people, just like you and me.” Stephen Dargaj, program director for Gathering Hope House, said the walk is done to erase the stigma associated with a mental health diagnosis. “A lot of Lorain County residents are utilizing the mental health network,” Dargaj said. “It’s something that affects a ton of people in this county, so we want to get rid of the stigma attached to it.” The Gathering Hope House, which operates out of the Lorain

County Board of Mental Health, offers support for those with a mental health diagnosis, he said. “We have different programs like art, music and fitness therapy,” Dargaj said. “We offer the support services needed to navigate a mental health diagnosis, and teach folks how to cope with it. “We teach them why it’s important to be med-compliant and to take ownership of their diagnosis; we ultimately want them to be selfsufficient. Anyone who has a mental diagnosis, is over 18 and lives in Lorain County, can be a member of Gathering Hope House.” Dargaj said the walk was just a simple way to spread the word. “We came out here to have a cookout and get the families of some of our members out here to see what we are all about,” he said. “We then walked around the fountain at the park. “The goal was for people to see the lives affected by a mental health diagnosis, but to also show they are still people.” Jay Sears, an Elyria resident and U.S. Marine Corp. veteran, is a member of Gathering Hope House and participated in the walk. “The Gathering Hope House is a great place that doesn’t judge people,” Sears said. “We are all people and everyone is respectful of that fact. “People don’t single each other out; it’s the greatest.” Brian Koffman, of Elyria, also is a Gathering Hope House member. “I love being a part of it,” Koffman said. “It’s a community all its own. We learn how to deal with certain symptoms and live a healthy lifestyle.”