Each year the Fresh Check Day coordinator Mary Pellitteri takes over our Mount Carmel Campus Quad with the goal of creating a supportive, informed and connected community.

Designed to promote mental health and suicide awareness, Fresh Check Day engages students with interactive activities, peer-to-peer support and an open dialogue focusing on mental health.

“I want people to become aware of the signs and symptoms of mental health issues,” Pellitteri said. “To know how to respond and where to get help. I want people to have hope.”

Fresh Check Day — set to begin at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 8 — brings together organizations from across the university, working together with Hartford HealthCare. With support from Counseling and Mental Health Services, Student Affairs, the Community, Assessment, Response and Evaluation (CARE) Team, the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, the Office of Student Engagement and the Office of Community Engagement, there is something for everyone.

Student organizations like the Gender Sexuality Alliance, Student Government Association, Student Programming Board, National Alliance for Mental Illness and Asian Student Alliance will also have tables alongside athletic teams like women’s ice hockey.

“Every year we have something new and different,” Pellitteri said. “We have a Connecticut state gambling problem van, therapy dogs and a State of Connecticut Suicide Prevention table, all things we didn’t have last year.”

The interactive stations offer an engaging way to learn about the signs of mental health challenges and suicide and how to offer help to those who need it. Each booth is a step in reducing the stigma around mental health.

Fresh Check Day thrives on the support of its dedicated volunteers, many of whom return year after year, some of which have been with Pellitteri since the beginning.

“My favorite part is when the event is in full swing and I see the crowd of people — students, faculty and staff coming together to learn about this important message,” Pellitteri said.

“I want everyone to be aware of the Nine out of 10 pledge we ask participants to take. When you take the pledge, you are agreeing to learn, be aware, speak up, reach out and do what you can to help someone, and that often involves knowing what resources are available.”

There’s an important sense of unity with Fresh Check Day. It’s all about community members looking out for each other, keeping an eye out for warning signs and providing the support to potentially save a life.

“Everyone plays a role in suicide prevention," Pellitteri said.