MDCC Hosts 7th Annual Fresh Check Day, Highlights Sexual Assault Awareness Month

MOORHEAD, Miss. (Apr. 22, 2023) – Mississippi Delta Community College (MDCC) recently held its annual Fresh Check Day during Springfest 2024.

Fresh Check Day is a national program of the Jordan Porco Foundation that promotes mental health on college campuses in an uplifting and engaging way. This SPRC Best Practice program includes interactive booths that address mental health topics and resources, free food, entertainment, and incentives for participation. The Jordan Porco Foundation, whose mission is to prevent suicide, promote mental health, and create a message of hope for young adults, provides Fresh Check Day to hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide each year. 

“Fresh Check Day is a vital event here at MDCC, and we couldn’t do it without the help of our volunteers,” said Counselor Darla Poole. “As a newcomer to the Trojan family, it was exciting to work with employees and students who have volunteered at this event for years and already know the right messaging to engage students in mental health topics. According to post-event survey results, participants left with more knowledge of how to talk about these topics, support their peers, and seek support when needed.”

The Office of Counseling and Disability Support Services sponsors the event, with booths and activities overseen by faculty, staff, several student organizations, and even community volunteers. Coordinator of Counseling and Disability Support Services Jalisha Kee stated, “Our office strives to create an atmosphere that encourages students to discuss mental health openly. Mental health stigma is one of the biggest barriers to help-seeking on college campuses. Hosting events such as the Jordan Porco Foundation’s Fresh Check Day “lightens the mood” and adds a fun element in talking about mental health/mental health resources, thus combatting mental health stigma.”

While most states have many colleges and universities that use Fresh Check Day to promote mental health, MDCC is the only community college in the state of Mississippi that has led the way with this program. This year, Counselor Pamela Venton hosted a spinoff event, Stress Check Days, on MDCC’s Greenville campus.

Pamela Venton explained, “April is Stress Awareness Month, so the goal of Stress Check Days was to address stress, its causes and red flags, and its relation to anxiety and depression. For this event, we decided to take an active approach, inviting several organizations to provide students, faculty, and staff with stress-relieving exercises to learn important skills to help alleviate stress.”

The Office of Counseling and Disability Support Services continues its work in April by bringing awareness to sexual assault. “April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which presented the perfect opportunity to invite Our House, Inc., a local resource for victims and survivors of domestic violence & sexual assault, to host the RiseUp booth. This booth brings awareness to sexual assault, relationship violence, and the mental health effects that follow,” said Poole. “In addition to several interactive, educational components, booth volunteers blew a whistle for every 4th visitor, signifying that 1 in 4 college students will be exposed to sexual assault, commanding the attention of everyone at the event each time the whistle was blown.”