This month is an opportunity for us to become more aware of mental health problems, both our own and others. Given the current economic stressors in our country, more of us are experiencing anxiety and depression and could benefit from help. Yet a large majority of people who are suffering do not seek help due to the stigma that still exists around mental illness.
The Mercer Island Community Fund recently presented a grant to the Mercer Island High School choir and orchestra departments as scholarship opportunities for financially struggling students. The scholarship money will be used to defray some of the costs of a music festival trip that will take place over Memorial Day Weekend in Vancouver, B.C., and will include the Bel Canto Choir, Midnight Blues Jazz Choir, the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphonic Orchestra.
The Mercer Island Farmers Market has received a generous grant of $2,000 from the Community Fund for the 2009 season. These funds will be used to bring music to the market every Sunday, with a focus on Island musicians, and to support special entertainment for children. Last year, the Community Fund provided seed funding for the market to begin operations, the first tangible support from our community. Once again, the Community Fund is helping our market grow into an event that nourishes our community as it supports local farmers and farmland.
Faced with increasingly distressing economic news, many Islanders may conclude that it is the wrong time to be approving the parks and recreation levies that are on the November ballot.
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