TOLEDO, Ohio — The 19th Annual Heart and Soul Caring for Our Community Event at Fifth Third Field Saturday night aimed to raise awareness while working to beat the stigmas surrounding mental health issues.
Attendees came out for a night on the town to have fun and dressed up in all kinds of costumes. The event also featured food, entertainment and auctions to raise money for mental health resources.
Co-founder Tony Rasczik helped start the event 19 years ago to help those battling mental health issues. He said over the last few years the pandemic has increased the need for resources for people struggling with their mental health.
"We wanted to show support for them and others with mental health diagnosis. And offer support and raise the stigma along with mental illness and mental illness and just put a fundraiser together," Rasczik said.
The fundraiser has been at the Mudhens' stadium for 18 off its 19 years and started out aiming to raise around $5,000, but Rascik says they are now seeing numbers around $28,000.
The money goes to support resources such as the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital and the Thomas M Wernert Center, which have helped patients over the years, including Lucy Dias.
Dias was diagnosed with a mental health condition years ago, but she said she has been helped immensely and doesn't feel alone in her journey anymore thanks to the Wernert Center.
"There is so much wonderful peer support that it ended my stigma, so now I'm not afraid to say that I have mental health," Dias said.
Dias said it's events such as the Heart and Soul that raise awareness for places like the Wernert Center, where clients can enter into recovery programs and potentially end up living a better life.
"We have to come together and it's just a wonderful thing for people with mental health to come together and enjoy these events," she said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or in a crisis, call or text 9-8-8.
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