Guilford County proclaims May as Mental Health Awareness Month and Foster Care Month; board honors Theophilus O. Stokes Jr.

At its May 20 meeting the Guilford County Board of Commissioners adopted two proclamations and read a resolution honoring a longtime civic leader.

Chair Melvin "Skip" Austin read a resolution commemorating the life and legacy of Theophilus O. Stokes Jr., who died April 26, 2026, at age 97. The resolution chronicled Mr. Stokes' military service, decades of community and faith leadership, business ownership and civic honors. His son stepped forward to accept the board's recognition and thanked commissioners.

Commissioner Cash presented a proclamation declaring May 2026 Mental Health Awareness Month and invited the county behavioral health director, Deborah Mack, and Cone Health representatives to the podium. The proclamation cited county statistics presented to the board: the Guilford County Behavioral Health Center served more than 20,000 individuals in 2025, recorded over 12,000 urgent-care visits and more than 18,000 adult behavioral outpatient clinic visits. The board also announced a Mental Health Awareness festival scheduled for May 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Guilford County Cooperative Extension Center on Burlington Road.

Vice Chair Corvina Foster read a proclamation recognizing May as National Foster Care Month, citing state-level and local figures: approximately 10,500 children and youth ages 0–17 in foster care across North Carolina and about 775 in Guilford County, with approximately 53 young adults in extended foster care locally. Foster and other speakers urged residents to support foster and kinship families and noted ongoing recruitment and support needs.

The proclamations were presented to county staff, community partners and service providers in the chambers, and commissioners commended the work of foster families, behavioral health staff and community organizations.