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Third annual children's mental health and wellness fair brings 30+ vendors to Festival Park
Summary
Organizers held the third annual children's mental health and wellness fair at Festival Park to connect young people and families with local mental-health resources, suicide-prevention outreach and child-safety programs, organizers and participants said.
The third annual children's mental health and wellness fair took place at Festival Park, where Speaker 1, event organizer, said "We have over 30 vendors who are here distributing information about some of the resources that are available in our community." The event featured a live DJ, fitness performances and multiple booths intended to connect families and young people with local services.
The fair aims to combine suicide-prevention outreach with broader wellness supports for children and teens. Speaker 3, student services staff, described the event as a continuation of a suicide-prevention walk: "It started, years ago. American Society with Suicide Prevention, used to hold a walk every year. In student services, we participate in the walk. After COVID, they stopped doing their walk in Fayetteville. So we decided, that we were going to, well, to have a walk." She said the fair was developed from that walk to "incorporate mental health and wellness" and to let not just Cumberland High School but the wider St. Paul community "know what resources are out in the community."
Organizers and vendors emphasized both mental-health messaging and practical child-safety education. Speaker 6, safety program representative, said their booth focused on teaching children "what it means to ask for help," using a "more therapeutic approach" and offering a small prize. Speaker 2, performer/volunteer, highlighted onstage activities: "We have miss Stephanie Keebler who is, leading fitness performances. There's food trucks. You name it, it's happening." Speaker 6 also listed safety initiatives at the fair: "car seat safety, bike safety, poison prevention, fire safety" as examples of work intended to "prevent those preventable childhood injuries."
Speakers stressed normalizing conversations about mental health and encouraging young people to seek help. Speaker 1 said, "So mental health is wealth. Mental health is important. It is as important as your physical health." Speaker 5, vendor representative, urged outreach: "is to always reach out to someone that can help. It's really important to not suffer through things by yourself. There's a million resources out there that you can help with whatever you're going through."
Attendees and organizers described active youth participation. Speaker 1 said seeing "young people out here having a good time" and volunteering was a highlight. Speaker 4, attendee/volunteer, shared a personal note about the importance of support, saying she lost a close friend in high school and could relate to what some students face.
Organizers positioned the fair as a community resource day rather than a formal government program; no formal actions, votes or funding commitments were announced during the remarks.
