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Read More about this safari issue.Helping Arkansans with Behavioral Health Disorders through Walk a Mile in My Shoes.
One in five adults, adolescents and children suffer from behavioral health disorders that interfere with their daily life. Ozark Guidance wants to help reduce the stigma of such disorders by encouraging people to think about walking in another person’s shoes.
The health care center, which serves Northwest Arkansas through offices in Bentonville, Berryville, Eureka Springs, Fayetteville, Huntsville, Rogers, Siloam Springs and Springdale, aims to do that through literally getting people to walk in other people’s shoes through an event later this month.
The Walk a Mile in My Shoes Sale gives people an opportunity to donate new or like-new shoes and handbags, then shop for a new look while benefiting Ozark Guidance, said Dina Rega, head of marketing and special events for Ozark Guidance.
The event is the perfect time to clean out your closet and donate the “toe pinchers,” shoes you might have worn once or twice but they didn’t really fit, or shoes you bought for your child but they outgrew before they could wear them, she said.
Retailers and vendors can also use the sale as an opportunity to clear out extra shoes and bags at the end of the season or to donate samples, she said.
Donations of new or nearly new shoes, handbags, scarves and ties may be dropped off at the Fayetteville office, at 60 W. Sunbridge, and all donations are tax deductible. Call 479-725-5294 for more information.
Walk a Mile in My Shoes starts with a VIP presale party Friday, Feb. 26, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Springdale. Tickets are $20 and will give shoppers a first look at new and almost-new handbags and shoes, which will be priced between $5 and $25. Tickets may be purchased online.
The event is sponsored by KYYA Chocolate, located in Elm Springs, and will include pairings of wine, cheese and chocolate, making it a great girlfriend’s night out event, Rega said.
The sale is open to the public Saturday, Feb. 27, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and admission is free Saturday.
Last year’s event raised $15,000, which helps Ozark Guidance to provide mental health services to children, adults and families throughout Northwest Arkansas.
It’s estimated that about 26 percent of adults and 20 percent of children in Northwest Arkansas will have some sort of mental health problem in the next year (which translates to 110,000 adults and 26,000 children), and Ozark Guidance helps to diagnose and treat people through day treatment and outpatient clinics as well as in home and in school assessment and therapy sessions.
Since 1970, Ozark Guidance has helped people in Northwest Arkansas with treatment for depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health issues, as well as offering programs for anger management and counseling for grief, abuse and emotional difficulties.
Learn more at Ozark Guidance’s website or on Facebook.
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