The M.E. Day Wellness Expo is a yearly event that works to promote mental health for residents of the area. This year’s Wellness Expo goes on Wednesday, November 23 from 7:00 - 10:00 pm at Jubilee Hall in the Humboldt Uniplex. 

The idea is about empowering people to create their own mental health team, says organizer and mental health advocate Kim Hartl. 

“We have a guest speaker, Ashley Brelant who is a counsellor out of Saskatoon. Then we have 15 to 17 booths set up around the perimeter of Jubilee Hall. After the presentation, everyone can walk around and make contact with staff at the different booths. People can find out how to get help for their mental health.”

Among the representatives attending will be mental workers from the Saskatchewan Health Authority, along with a host of private businesses and therapeutic practitioners from in and around the Humboldt area who can lend support and make connections. 

“I have found over the last several years in my study of mental health, the biggest link is helping people to make connections, because no one knows where to start, and people get frustrated because they keep hitting road blocks,” Hartl says.  

Speaking Through C.R.A.I.G. (Creating Resilience and Awareness Inspired through Guidance ) Solutions, Inc. is a non-profit established by Hartl, bearing the name of her son Craig who was tragically lost several years ago. Originally, Hartl undertook speaking engagements, but with the establishment of the non-profit foundation, which is in the process of applying for charitable status, her efforts have grown to cover events such as M.E. (Mental health Edification) Day and similar ventures. 

Project Ivan, created in memory of Ivan Lung, promotes pet therapy sessions in hospitals, long term care homes, Ronald McDonald House, and schools. Project Help, dedicated to the memory of Craig Hartl, will provide scholarships to nurses, doctors, continuing care aids, and people working at hospitals, schools, long-term care homes, and homeless shelters, who choose to learn more about mental health. Finally Sierra’s Gift, designed in memory of Sierra Schemenauer, provides scholarships for the training of doctors, nurses, counsellors, and people who work at homes like the Ronald McDonald House and the Children’s hospitals who choose to learn more about mental health.

For those struggling with challenges around mental health, or for those who are supporting others, M.E. Day Wellness Expo can help make those connections so critical for positive outcomes in mental health. The doors to the event open at 6:30 pm.