The Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Lyons Township partnered with LT to host a Mental Health Resource Fair at SC on March 5 from 6 p.m. -8 p.m. The event included a resource fair as well as presentations from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and West 40.

“It is important that we offer programs for students and parents that support our students and their needs,” Principal Jennifer Tyrrell said. “With this being an event that is facilitated by the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Lyons Township, families from the entire township are invited. We are proud to host and bring those families together to learn about mental health and provide resources to support students and families. Supporting our students’ mental health is something that is very important to us at LT.”

The event featured a resource fair with community partners and informational sessions on supporting teenagers with mental health challenges, as well as a separate session that addressed how to support teenagers struggling with regular attendance, Division Chair of Counseling &

Student Support Services Drew Eder said.

“The topics of supporting student mental health and school refusal are an important topic at LT,” Eder said. “Parents are important partners for these areas and our engagement with them is essential in order to appropriately support students working through mental health challenges.”

Each of the presentations was shown twice, once at 6:30 p.m. and the other at 7:20 p.m. by NAMI West Suburban and West 40.  NAMI is dedicated to helping millions of Americans who are struggling with mental illness build better lives. They have over 700 locations across the country, including a NAMI in Western Springs. West 40 is an organization whose goal is to encourage students across Cook County to become powerful influential members of their community.

“Mental health is valuable to me because it affects my day to day life,” Paige Zbella ‘26 said. “It helps me handle things like stress and my relationships with my peers. Maintaining good mental health is important to me since it’s the key to balancing my life.”

The event was open to anyone within the township and was an event that families could come to if they need resources, Tyrrell said. Other community organizations that were present included Pillars Community Health, The Loft, Buddy’s Place, LADSE, Grief Connection Space, Youth Outreach Services, Mindful Behavior LLC, Rosecrance, Restore Wellness Group, and Compass Health Centers.