Enhance your mental health with some of these upcoming opportunities!

May is Mental Health Month. This is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the state of mental health in our country and increase awareness of the struggles many of us are facing. An annual study conducted by Mental Health America revealed that youth mental health is worsening; the prevalence of mental illness among adults is on the rise; and the number of adults contemplating suicide continues to increase. While we at Currituck Extension are certainly not mental health professionals, we do believe that overall wellness and improved health depends upon positive mental health.

In this issue you will find numerous opportunities to get involved in classes, community events and organizations that can be a support to your physical and mental health. We hope that you will take advantage of some of these opportunities. Additionally, we invite you to get involved and contribute to advancing mental health and suicide prevention awareness by registering to run or walk the Stigma Stomp 5k on May 15 in memory of Ronnie Joe Cooper, Jr. This event is being held at the Currituck Cooperative Extension Office in Barco. You must purchase your race entry through the OBX Running Company at the following link:

https://www.theobxrunningcompany.com/currituck-county-stigma-stomp-5k-mental-health-awareness-run.html

We look forward to seeing you there!

Are you ready to get back in the Extension Kitchen? Well, we are ready to welcome you back! Join us on May 19, 2021, to master the art of herb pairing. You will learn and practice how to use herbs and spices in your everyday dishes to turn up the flavor. We will offer 2 registration types for this class. Option 1 will be to attend the live class from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This class will be limited to 6 individuals who will have their own kitchen space, distanced 6-feet from other participants. We are asking everyone to wear a mask for the duration of the class with no exceptions. This option has a $15.00 registration fee.

Reserve your seat today for either class option by completing the class registration and payment at https://herbsandspicescookalong.eventbrite.com.

To say Currituck is surrounded by water is an understatement. Over 50% of the county’s area is covered by water. From the Currituck Sound, to the Albemarle, to the North River, to our swamps, we have a lot of waterways and we need to protect them! Join us on May 27, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. to Noon at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Currituck County Center for our Water Quality Class: Improving our Streams and Sounds. We’ll cover everything you need to know about algal blooms, water quality issues our streams and sounds are facing, and what you can do to reduce your impacts on our water systems.

To sign up for our in-person or online class, head over to our Eventbrite signup page https://waterqualityclass.eventbrite.com.

The Currituck County 4-H Summer Camp Program offers youth a wide variety of fun, hands-on experiences that provide structure and an opportunity for them to grow. Our camps are designed to build self-confidence and explore new and different interests, while allowing youth to make new friends and learn new skills. With such a wide variety of day camps to choose from, there are bound to be several opportunities that will interest your kids to help keep them engaged during the summer months.

Check out all the opportunities at http://go.ncsu.edu/CurrituckEventbrite.