Hundreds of people gathered in Utah for Illumination 2021. The goal: to bring awareness to mental health.

“There are things we can do every day that will help us feel our best. And they’re simple and their practical.”

Jess Bigler is with Davis Behavioral Health, which in partnership with five cities in Northern Utah, created an organization called North Davis Communities that Care.

Teenagers set up booths to talk about ways to improve mental health. This is what some of them had to say:

“It’s just about nutrition and how it affects our mental health…like too much sugar can affect the way your arteries affect the brain and can lead to anxiety and depression.”

“We are the confident boosting button booth…So, we do a bunch of buttons to make people feel better about themselves, like I am confident. Who I am is enough.”

“This is important because a lot of people think just because you fail, you have to give up and it’s over.”

“Our message is to sleep for your mental health because a lot of teenagers don’t get enough sleep every night and it affects them.”

MTC was a proud sponsor of Illumination 2021. In recognition of MTC’s 40^th anniversary, corporate staff helped organize and set up the event. Some handed out water.

“MTC has been the dream partners that you hope for,” says Jess. “Like I said, I coordinate coalitions. I work with a lot of partners. But for somebody to come in who shares our goals and is willing to stand with us every step of the way, from planning this to helping financially to bringing volunteers—I mean that’s the triple whammy right there.”

One young lady concluded with this thought about the event.

“I think it makes a big difference helping other people and it makes you feel better about yourself and to see other people be happier too.”