CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A quiet but impactful push has been underway in Beeville, to bring more mental health services to the city.
Twice a week you can catch Kristina Cavazos spinning the wheel on Facebook Live. Something her and her employer Serenity Counseling Services has been doing for a month and a half.
People have been paying a small fee to be entered into the raffle, to win gift cards to just about every kind of business. Names are entered into an online website and the wheel is spun to find a random winner. Friday's drawing happened to be free for entrants and a $50 gift card to Hogue's Jewelry was on the line.
Sponsors have stepped in from Beeville, Taft and Portland.
All in the name of mental health.
“The mom and pop businesses come out and say I want to help what can I do? It has been amazing," Cavazos said, administrative assistant at Serenity Counseling.
anything in every day life can trigger the need for counseling services. That's why, in Cavazos' eyes, the need for mental health support in Beeville has been growing.
“There have been several people who have said, you know what, I’m not ok, but I want to be ok,” she said.
“To see that somebody else is going through it, makes me feel like OK, I’m not alone," Criste Bleibdrey said. "So, I want to be someone that someone can say, OK she’s going through that. She’s going through something that I’m going through too.”
Bleibdrey is the owner of CC's Smoothie, Coffee, Tea Bar in Beeville. She decided to be a sponsor because mental health is an important issue to her. Something she’s dealt with herself.
“I feel like that could evolve into something more bigger. I feel as a small town we need something like that,” Bleibdrey said.
This isn’t Cavazos' and Serenity Counseling’s first attempt at raising funds for mental health. They raised $12,000 with a Chalking for Mental Health event.
Many people have been serviced using those funds, but the money is just about gone and the waitlist continues to grow.
Another event is planned to help raise funds. Next month is Beeville Princess Days. Young princesses and young prince's are invited to come spend some time singing, dancing and having fun with the Disney Princesses. It will be $35 a child and a parent must accompany them. The funds will go back to helping get people counseling services. That event is Oct. 8 and 9 with several time slots. You can check out their Facebook page to learn how to reserve your spot.
To get involved with Spin the Wheel for Mental Health drawings, you can follow their Facebook page here. If you're interested in becoming a sponsor, you should contatc Serenity Counseling at 361-350-8088.
Cavazos said drawings will continue as long as they have sponsors.
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