Bringing Wellness to the Table: Reflections on the 2025 Wake Forest Mental Wellness Fair
My name is Grace Berry, and I serve as the Lead for North Carolina Fellow this year for Central Pines Regional Council. I recently had the honor of representing Central Pines at the Wake Forest Mental Wellness Fair, held at the Wake Forest Renaissance Centre. Hosted by the Town of Wake Forest and championed by Commissioner Nick Sliwinski, this annual event continues to show what it looks like when local government takes meaningful action to support mental wellness. The upcoming World Mental Health Day, which is celebrated annually on October 10, provided perfect timing for the fair to highlight the importance of mental well-being and community connection. The fair was free and open to the public, offering residents a chance to connect with local providers, explore practical tools, and hear directly from professionals and advocates who are leading the way on mental health awareness in our region.
A Shout-Out to Wake Forest and Commissioner Sliwinski
A heartfelt thank you to Commissioner Nick Sliwinski and the Town of Wake Forest for organizing and hosting such an impactful community event. Their commitment to mental wellness is a model for what public leadership can look like at the local level. By creating a space where residents could learn, talk openly, and connect to resources, Wake Forest demonstrated how municipalities can destigmatize mental health and make wellness accessible to everyone.
Vendor Advocates: Mapping the Landscape of Support
One of the most impressive aspects of the fair was the diverse lineup of vendor advocates. These organizations represented every corner of the mental health ecosystem, from clinical care and prevention to education, advocacy, and holistic well-being. Some of the participating organizations included:
- Cedar Oaks Clinic
- Bright Path Behavioral Health
- Monarch Mental Health Counseling
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- The Kaleidoscope Project
- Illuminate NC
- NAMI Wake County
- NC Youth Empowered Advocating for Health (YEAH)
- Wake County Government
- WakeMed Mental Health & Well-Being
- Wake County Public Schools
- Ripe for Revival
- Northern Community Food Security Team
- RTI International
- Star Equine Experience
- The Grayson Murray Foundation
Each vendor offered something meaningful, ranging from free screenings and therapy resources to mindfulness activities and community programs. For those in regional and local government, this kind of event is more than a community gathering. It is an opportunity to map partnerships, identify service gaps, and strengthen the network of mental health supports across our towns and counties.
Breakout Sessions and Key Conversations
The fair balanced information with hands on practice, allowing attendees to both learn and experience wellness techniques first-hand.
Grounding Fortune Squares
Led by Tori Shue from Cedar Oaks Clinic, this interactive mindfulness session used fortune squares as prompts to guide participants through grounding exercises. It was simple, creative, and deeply calming, a great example of how to make mindfulness accessible at the community level.
Aromatic Tranquility
Facilitated by Launeice Newton, PMHNP-BC, MSN, RN, this session focused on how aromatherapy and breathing techniques can reduce stress and promote relaxation. Participants sampled calming scents and practiced easy breathing techniques they could bring back into their daily routines.
Panel Discussion: The Pressures on Athletes and Their Parents
Moderated by Symone Lyles, LCSW, from UNC’s Mental Health and Performance Psychology Department, the panel included B.J. Daniels Jr. (former NFL quarterback), Eric and Terry Murray (founders of the Grayson Murray Foundation), and Karen Pustulka, OTL (Occupational Therapist at WakeMed). The discussion focused on the mental health pressures faced by athletes and families, particularly the emotional toll of high-performance environments. The conversation was powerful, highlighting that mental health challenges do not discriminate and that early intervention and open dialogue can save lives. For local governments, this conversation reinforces the importance of integrating wellness programming within youth sports, recreation departments, and school partnerships.
Final Reflection
Attending the Wake Forest Mental Wellness Fair was genuinely moving. Throughout the day, I had the chance to talk with residents, nonprofit leaders, and service providers who care deeply about making mental health support more accessible in their communities. Those conversations were a reminder of how powerful it can be when people show up to listen and connect. Seeing the Town of Wake Forest create a space for that kind of dialogue was inspiring. It reinforced how local governments can play a real, hands-on role in strengthening community well-being, not through abstract policy but by ensuring that people feel seen, supported, and part of something larger. For me, it also tied closely to Central Pines Regional Council’s goal of building a Connected Region, where collaboration and compassion are at the center of everything we do. The fair was a clear example of that vision in action.
