By Quinn O’Hara

Last month, the Clay Counts Coalition brought together community leaders and produced Community Commitment Night: A Night for Courageous Conversations.

Lori Martin of the Clay Counts Coalition wrote in a letter to the Coalition containing the statistics of the event. She says 286 adults attended the event, and 50 children were cared for and supervised at Common Ground in Clay Center while their families attended breakout sessions. 340 meals were served with contributions from the events sponsors for free to the community, 23 individuals and professionals presented on mental health topics, 10 local businesses hosted breakout sessions, and 8 information booths were set up inside the Rex Theatre.

Due to the resounding success of the first Community Commitment Night, the Youth Mental Health Task Force has decided to hold monthly events called “Clay Counts Community Care Nights.” The first Community Care Night will be held on Monday, January 22nd, from 6:30 to 7:30pm. Though no meals or child care will be provided, Lori Martin will be inviting food trucks for the events. The focus for the first monthly Clay Counts Community Care Night will be “Self Care” and “The Addictive Properties of Online Gaming.”