NVCC’s Café West was a hub of activity as students, faculty, and staff participated in the College’s second Fresh Check Day held on November 5.

“Turnout was very strong,” said Sarah Gager, NVCC Dean of Student Services, who said that attendance at the four-hour event exceeded 300 students.  Fresh Check Day is the signature program of The Jordan Porco Foundation (JPF). JPF works closely with colleges to plan and fund Fresh Check Day in an effort to bring awareness of mental health resources and coping strategies to college campuses. The event also focuses heavily on suicide prevention. Fresh Check is a celebratory, fair-like event that includes:

• Interactive expo booths
• Free food
• Entertainment
• Exciting prizes and giveaways

AT NVCC, students received a raffle card before entering the event. Students who got the card stamped by visiting at least five of the exhibits will be entered into a drawing for a 32” HD TV. The first table at NVCC’s Fresh Check event (#freshcheckdaynvcc) included a squares project sponsored by Safe Haven of Greater Waterbury in which students created messages on cloth squares to relay solidarity on issues such as suppression, homophobia, domestic assault, etc. Following the event, the squares will be assembled and hang in a corridor that serves as the College’s main artery for foot-traffic A similar table, sponsored by NVCC’s Human Services Club, solicited students to jot down “reasons to live. These reasons will be culminated into a tree made up of 100 reasons to live and on display throughout the year in a prominent campus location. A meditation booth; a table providing a bounty of tangerines, apples, bananas, and other healthy snacks for the taking; a smoking cessation display; and a table with information and resources on substance abuse and promoting upcoming NARCAN trainings at the College were among others in the event.

“At a time when proactive measures for promoting good mental health in our communities are sorely needed, I am so grateful for the Jordan Porco Foundation’s support of this event for our students. I am also grateful to NVCC’s faculty, staff, administration, and community partners for their hard work in making this event a success,” said NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D.

This is the second year NVCC has hosted a Fresh Check Day at its campus and hopes to repeat it next fall providing students an opportunity to check-in on their mental and physical health.