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Oakdale honors promotoras with proclamation declaring May Mental Health Awareness Month
Summary
Oakdale Mayor Sherilyn Berrios read a proclamation recognizing Promotoras, Oakdale Advocates for their volunteer mental-health outreach; promotoras described a years-long, community-led effort focused on youth prevention, stigma reduction and outreach to Spanish-speaking residents.
Mayor Sherilyn Berrios read a proclamation at a City Council meeting recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month and presenting it to promotoras from Oakdale Advocates.
The proclamation noted the group’s volunteer outreach to families and young people and said mental wellness is essential to community health. Mayor Sherilyn Berrios said, “I want to thank you ladies for all that you do in our community, not only today, but that you have been doing for many, many years,” and presented the proclamation.
A promotora who spoke on behalf of the group described the program’s origins and continuing volunteer work. She said the promotoras began focused outreach in February 2014 and have tied nearly 1,000 green ribbons at the skate park to raise community awareness about mental health and prevention. The speaker said the promotoras have self-funded the work and restarted weekly youth groups in February; she reported nearly 60 children attended a recent "Day of the Child" event and that a group of about 50 women will meet this coming Friday for a wrap-up and additional fentanyl-prevention information in Spanish from county behavioral-health staff.
Speakers emphasized language barriers and cultural stigma as obstacles to seeking help and described promotoras’ outreach to Spanish-speaking parents and children aged about 8 to 12 to teach emotion-recognition and coping techniques. One promotora credited a local family, the Verduzco family at the Octo Event Center, for providing meeting space at no charge.
Council members thanked the promotoras for long-term volunteer service and asked staff to work with the group and county behavioral-health resources. A council member asked staff to check county prevention data after a promotora said Oakdale had the highest suicide rate in Stanislaus County; the promotora said her source was county prevention staff but did not provide a written citation during the meeting.
The presentation did not include a formal council vote; the proclamation was presented and the council recognized the promotoras’ work.
