March 4 Hope brings mental illness awareness to downtown Medford

Medford, Ore. — Dozens marching in downtown Medford to raise awareness about mental illness.

Mental illness impacts the lives of many Americans

The President of Southern Oregon’s National Alliance on Mental Illness, Pat Garoutte, says thousands of those people are in our communities.

That’s why they hold the annual “March 4 Hope,” to bring light to what is often seen as a dark topic.

“So many people do not understand it and there’s such a stigma out there, so people with mental illness don’t come forward to seek the help that is needed,” said Garoutte.

All the money raised from the event will go toward mental illness educational programs, family to family coping skill classes and peer mentoring programs.