Winona, Minn. – Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center (HVMHC) has announced that local band Inertia will highlight their 4th Annual Bringing Light into Darkness community event on Thursday September 19, from 5-9 p.m. at their 420 East Sarnia St clinic.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month. There were 815 deaths by suicide and 1,338 deaths by overdose in Minnesota in 2023. The September 19 event is to celebrate mental health and bring awareness of the darkness that mental illness and addiction can evoke, but through darkness there is a light of hope that can build resiliency and recovery.
Inertia, a local cover band playing the best hits of the 90’s and 2000’s will be the main feature of the night playing under a large tent in the parking lot from 5:15-9:00 p.m. with an intermission from 7:15-8:00 p.m. Senator Jeremy Miller, and Winona Mayor Scott Sherman highlight the speakers on the main stage from 7:15-8:00 p.m.
Several food trucks will be set up in the HVMHC parking lot on Sarnia Street from 5-9 p.m. Backwater Barbeque, The Taco Lab, and Sweet Clouds and Cones are confirmed vendors with additional trucks to still be announced.
“It’s going to be a fun, exciting, and educational event for the whole Winona community,” said HVMHC Marketing and Communications Specialist Ryan Buhler. “The event is free and open to everyone. We encourage the entire community to come down and listen to Inertia, purchase some food, check out the resource fair and learning sessions.”
A mental health resource fair featuring 30 vendors will be held inside the HVMHC clinic. Community members will have a chance to visit with non-profits and see what resources are available to them in the community. There are interactive Learning Sessions scheduled inside of the HVMHC clinic throughout the night where guests can select sessions, they want to participate in.
The city transit bus will have a special route with extended hours throughout the event to assist with public transportation for the evening.
Continue to check the Bringing Light into Darkness web page at: https://hvmhc.org/bringing-light-into-darkness/ for the schedule of Learning Sessions, special City Transit Route schedule and for updates on food trucks.
Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center (HVMHC) has been a trusted provider of mental health and substance use services in Southeastern Minnesota since 1965. HVMHC is a regional leader in providing exceptional, responsive, consumer focused behavioral health services. Today, HVMHC provides a diverse array of services and support designed to meet people where they are at in their recovery journey.
HVMHC’s combination of housing programming for adults, clinic-based services including therapy, psychiatry, counseling, as well as community-based services including case management, skills services, and school based mental health services are uniquely provided by HVMHC across the region. HVMHC serves Goodhue, Wabasha, Winona, Houston, and Fillmore Counties in Southeast Minnesota.
If you would like additional information on HVMHC and the services they provide, please go to www.hvmhc.org or call 1-800-657-6777. If you or someone you care for is struggling with their mental health and/or experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is available 24/7 through the 988 National Crisis Line or by dialing 1-844-274-7427.
Learning Sessions Schedule – Located within HVMHC’s Garden Room