ECU hosts fourth annual Fresh Check Day focusing on mental health and suicide prevention
Fresh Check Day is an initiative aimed at raising awareness of mental illness and preventing suicide. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
East Carolina University will host Fresh Check Day, an initiative aimed at raising awareness of mental illness and preventing suicide, from 4-7 p.m. Oct. 30 on the Main Campus Student Center Lawn, with a rain location of the Main Campus Student Center Commons.
ECU, in conjunction with the Jordan Porco Foundation, is one of six universities in North Carolina participating in Fresh Check Day this year. The Porco family started the foundation in 2011 following the death of their son Jordan due to suicide.
ECU received the Outstanding Fresh Check Day Campus Award in 2017, which goes to a college campus for its outstanding planning, promotion, implementation, engagement, impactful messaging at interactive booths, and high student attendance.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults between the ages of 15-24 in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 2 million college students (out of 20 million total) contemplate suicide, and about 1.2 million high school students (out of 14.9 million total) attempt suicide each year. The numbers are alarming, but a lot is being done to connect students to mental health resources so that they can get the help they need.
Fresh Check Day is a celebratory fair-like event that includes interactive expo booths, music, free food, exciting prizes and giveaways. Capitalizing on the research-supported, peer-to-peer messaging model, Fresh Check Day uses peer groups to staff interactive booths that deliver mental health and resource messaging in a fun and engaging way.
Since the first Fresh Check Day in 2012, the Porco Foundation has connected with more than 180 colleges and universities nationwide to bring attention to mental health and suicide prevention.
The event is free to all ECU faculty, staff and students. Sponsors include the Center for Counseling and Student Development, Campus Recreation and Wellness, Campus Living, Student Government Association, Healthy P.I.R.A.T.E.S., Student Health, the Office of the Dean of Students, Women and Gender Office, Dr. Jesse R. Peele LGBTQ Center and other campus partners.
For more information visit http://freshcheckday.com/schools/east-carolina-university/ or contact Lauren Thorn, associate dean of students, at 252-328-9297 or thornla@ecu.edu.
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ECU News Services
Howard House, 1001 E. Fifth Street
Greenville, NC 27858
ecunews@ecu.edu
Phone: 252-328-6481
news.ecu.edu
Contact: Lauren Thorn, associate dean of students, thornla@ecu.edu
Telephone: 252-328-9297
Event Date: Oct. 30, 2019