Prayer vigil, balloon release held for mental health awareness

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – A group of green balloons were released in the Seth Johnson neighborhood of Montgomery on Saturday.

“Green represents mental health,” said Angela Exford, president of the Seth Johnson Neighborhood Association.

Mental health is an issue that the group is taking seriously. They believe it is one of the root causes of violent crime in the city, which is why they raised awareness through a prayer vigil and balloon release.

Participants hope that people will come together to erase the stigma around finding the right treatment.

“I am a mom who deals with mental health issues every day,” said participant Cubie Hayes. “My son had a challenge in his later years and I had to do everything I could to stabilize him.”

Your son is now back on the right track.

“I implore mothers and fathers to seek help for their children,” Hayes said.

In addition to praying for mental health, the group also prayed for families who have lost loved ones. They are neighbors supporting neighbors.

“We had loss of life in our neighborhood about a week ago,” Exford said. “He touched all of our hearts. Our hearts are heavy. We are praying for the family and we wanted the family to know that we are praying for them as well.”

Representatives from the city, Montgomery Public Schools, as well as Christian and Islamic religious leaders attended the event.

“We have to learn to work together as people of different faiths, people from different organizations, people with different agendas to win an agenda, and that is saving lives in the city of Montgomery,” said Keith Moore, the director. from the Montgomery Office of Violence Prevention

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