Hope4Orem executive director Cathy Ambrose believes making a connection is the key for people struggling with mental health issues to overcome their reservations and seek help.

The annual Hope4Orem Community Mental Wellness Fair on Monday aimed to create that connection by showing people the ample resources available in a comfortable setting.

“If you get to a point where you think you need help, or you know you need help, getting that help can be the most intimidating thing,” Ambrose said. “If we make this a family-carnival-like event, it makes it easy to come. There’s all these people, and nobody’s looking at each other going, ‘What’s your problem?’ It’s more of ‘We are a community, and we help each other.'”

Hope4Orem’s sixth annual suicide prevention event at the Orem Library Hall had its share of fun, as people hung out with Willy the Wolverine and Cosmo the Cougar, made balloons and got their faces painted.

There was also a keynote speaker, Mitch Pearson, who addressed the importance of discussion and support, and numerous organizations showcased their services, including Wasatch Behavioral Health, I Love You Bro and Brain Balance.

“We have therapists, we have nonprofits. We have people with their own special programs. Everybody’s invited. It’s no charge,” Ambrose said. “They come and set their tables. And hopefully somebody comes around and finds the connection that they need for help.”

Hope4Orem, founded by Janis Lindley, has a goal of establishing hope squads in every Orem school and promoting suicide awareness.

Ambrose feels strongly about the organization’s mission, citing high suicide rates statewide and her own experiences.

“I’ve lost friends to suicide, and it’s the worst kind of mourning I’ve ever gone through, because it’s the most preventable kind of death,” Ambrose said. “If we can have a generation that has been brought up in the conversation, and has been taught to talk about the hard things, that has been taught that they don’t need to be ashamed of the hard things … We can turn the tide. We can start saving more lives.”

Pearson, who lost his son, Mike, to suicide last year, is doing his part to create change by raising money and awareness for suicide prevention through his family’s new foundation, Fly Like Mike.

He said it’s important to hold events such as Monday’s where mental wellness discussions can happen.

Pearson shared during his keynote speech that there may not always be signs someone is struggling, and that people need to do a better job of checking on people and extending their love.

After his keynote speech, he said he had the opportunity to speak to a few people individually, and gave one man a hug.

“Those individual connections are just so important,” Pearson said. “I may not have had that kind of connection without the event, and he may not either. So it’s worth it. If there’s one success that comes from it, I think it’s all worth it.”

The wellness fair came just weeks after the Charlie Kirk assassination at Utah Valley. Ambrose said she hoped the event offered a chance for people to gain a deeper understanding of their mental health needs and deal with trauma.

Her advice to those struggling is to reach out to someone you have a connection with, and for anyone in crisis to call 988, the national suicide hotline.

“I would reach out,” Pearson said. “I would not worry so much what somebody’s going to think of you, because there’s so much love from the people that know you. Love is what you’ll receive, not shame.”