Fresh Check Day is an event held every semester to help raise awareness of mental health struggles within the college campus community. Fresh Check Day is a flagship program from the Jordan Porco Foundation, whose mission is to engage students in the conversation surrounding mental health awareness. This year’s event at Saint Anselm was held on Sept. 29 and hosted interactive booths for students to visit and learn from, along with raffles, free food, and live music. 

This event gives participants a safe space to discuss mental health issues and learn more about coping strategies and available resources. This year, 52 people were involved in planning this event, including staff and students. Despite the rainy weather, more than 300 people participated in the event on the 29th. Many of them were students who gave positive feedback on the event and appreciated the opportunity for open discussion.

According to Maura Marshall, Director of Health Services, mental health awareness helps “to decrease the stigma of mental health issues, prevent suicide, encourage peer support, and promote the resources that we have on and off campus.” Events such as Fresh Check Day keep the conversation open around mental health. Marshall says, “Fresh Check Day aims to create an approachable and hopeful atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about mental health and helps to build a bridge between students and the mental health resources available on campus, in the community, and nationally.” 

One of the issues that makes mental health struggles hard to combat is stigma around talking about it. Struggling with mental health is often seen as something to keep on the down low, when in reality, it’s become a common struggle for many, and having those tough conversations is necessary. 

Marshall says, “Our programs challenge stigma by talking openly about mental health, and educating about the risk factors and warning signs of suicide and other related mental health concerns. [Fresh Check Day] has been recognized as a Best Practice for Suicide Prevention.” The work these faculty and students have put in is life-saving and an invaluable asset to our Anselmian Community. 

 Lauren Reilly, President of the Active Minds club at Saint Anselm, who hosted a booth at Fresh Check Day, says that it is important for people to know that “mental health is just as important as physical health, and no one should feel like what they are going through does not matter. Through the work of Mental Health Committee, Active Minds and The Headgame Project, we strive to send the message that you are never alone and someone will always be there to listen and guide you.”  

Fresh Check Day is important because it focuses on community awareness. When someone struggles with their mental health, it helps to have a support system of people who recognize the signs and are able to step in. Reilly says, “Whether you are struggling with mental health or not it is so important to educate yourself and others on what someone else may be going through and show them that they are not alone.” 

As the Active Minds club president and someone serving on the Mental Health Committee, Reilly has a unique student perspective on the impact of Fresh Check Day. She says, “[it allows] me to see the power we have as students to make the changes we want to see. Hosting the Nine out of Ten booth these past two years has allowed me to see how much we have grown as a campus to become more aware of mental health, and I cannot wait to see what we accomplish in the future.”  

Marshall would like students to be aware of the following resources: Students experiencing mental health issues can contact the on-call counselor by dialing 603-641-7000. To speak to a live person, dial 0. The college has four counselors for students to set up in-person appointments on campus. Scheduling appointments can be done in the Health Services office or by calling 603-641-7028 during the hours of Monday – Friday 8a-6p, Saturdays 12-4. The UWill teletherapy app for virtual counseling is located at https://app.uwill.com where students can register using their Saint Anselm email address.