Cumberland County walk promotes mental health awareness in Vineland park
Vineland families walked a one-mile loop at Anthony Campanella Park as Cumberland County pointed residents to 24-hour crisis and recovery hotlines.
Anthony Campanella Park in Vineland became Cumberland County’s Mental Health Awareness Month stage on Saturday, May 2, as residents gathered for You Are Not Alone: Let’s Walk About It. Walkers lined up at 12:45 p.m., the opening ceremony began at 1 p.m., and the county led a one-mile fun walk around the lake before activities ran from 2 to 4 p.m.
The event was more than a social outing. The Cumberland County Mental Health & Addictions Board, which provides public leadership for mental health and substance use services, used the park setting at 429 W. Elmer Road to push outreach into a place where families already spend time. The afternoon lineup included face painting, karaoke, dancing, volleyball, frisbee golf, crafts and a free ice cream truck, and organizers invited people to bring a chair, lawn games and even pets.
That low-pressure format matters in a county where getting help can still feel complicated. Cumberland County’s Human Services page directs residents to a 24-hour Mental Health Emergency Hotline at 1-856-455-5555, the Cumberland CARES 24/7 Recovery Coach Hotline at 1-800-236-2448 and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Those numbers give families immediate options when a crisis cannot wait for an appointment, but they also show how much the system still depends on residents knowing which line fits which need.
The county has built other Mental Health Awareness Month programming around the same idea of lowering stigma. In 2023, it sponsored a stigma-free art contest, and county mental health and addiction services also coordinate the annual Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk and an overdose candlelight vigil. A May 19 Mental Health and Addictions Board meeting is on the county calendar, underscoring that the park walk was part of an ongoing public-health effort, not a one-day appearance.
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