TurtleTrek and the TurtleTrax Community Festival - Update

   The Mental Health Association, Inc. (a United Way agency) is heading to the home stretch in planning their major fundraiser for this season. The signature event for TurtleTrax 2008:  Opening Doors… Changing Lives includes the Turtle Trek, beginning and ending at Riverside Park in Vero Beach. The TurtleTrax Community Festival & Art Exhibit will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. where the Trek concludes. Hundreds of walkers, comprised of individuals, businesses, philantropists and children are registered to take the walk on Saturday, February 23^rd to bring awareness to the MHA in a way to “pull people out of their shell,” walk for a good cause, and reach towards sunnier skies and more productive lives.

   All those who have not pre-registered should register at 7:30 a.m. at Riverside Park. Each pre-registered walker will arrive at 8:00 a.m. After receiving walker t-shirts, all participants may begin stretching in preparation for the walk. A kick-off ceremony will begin at 8:15 a.m. with remarks from local and state dignitaries and a Remote Radio Broadcast courtesy of 93.7 The Breeze.  Following an official ribbon cutting and the singing of the National Anthem by the Brown Sisters, the group will begin their walk along a flat, shady route all on the Barrier Island. Fifty volunteers will help direct the walkers along the route showcasing a myriad of signs promoting positive mental health messages. Seacoast Bank will be the official Pit Stop offering snacks, water and entertainment.  At the conclusion, the walkers will be greeted by the St. Edwards School Cheerleaders, snacks, water and a few surprises related to walking. Turtle Trek registrations are now available.  Walkers are asked to raise $250 a person to be a Team Sponsor and $50 per person as a walker. Call Katie at 772-569-9788 for more information. 

The MHA, a United Way Agency, is the only nonprofit resource that people in Indian River County have for immediate access to crisis counseling and support for mental and emotional challenges. MHA proves its value to the community everyday in the lives saved, the families helped and the connections made for people facing mental health challenges.  Each year an average of 150 people attend support groups offered by the MHA including groups for people with bi-polar disorder, chronic depression and schizophrenia, women’s issues, family members of people with chronic mental illness, victims of domestic violence and eating disorders.