This free, family-friendly event will include interactive workshops and activities
designed to foster connection, creativity, and community.
About This Event
This free, family-friendly event offers a welcoming space for connection, creativity, and community support as we come together around the theme “Family Wellness & Resilience.”
Join us for NAMI Minnesota’s second Family Fun Day at Caponi Art Park on Saturday, June 13, from 10AM to 1PM, sponsored by Dakota County.
Families can enjoy a variety of interactive workshops and creative activities – all led by local artists – to foster community engagement and align with NAMI Minnesota’s ongoing work to strengthen mental health and community wellbeing.
Experience the energy of drumming, the mindfulness of movement, and the relaxation of forest bathing Engage in humor through the Mobile Comedy Suitcase, express creativity through Mandala Rocks, and take a moment to reflect at the Poetry Box.
A mental health scavenger hunt will offer a fun and engaging way to learn more about well-being. This event will take place outdoors, so please plan accordingly. Light refreshments will be provided.
Questions? Contact: calista@namimn.org
About NAMI
NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses and their families. For over 40 years, NAMI Minnesota has worked to promote the development of community mental health programs and services, change public attitudes about mental illnesses, improve access to services and increase opportunities for recovery. NAMI Minnesota champions justice, dignity, and respect for all people affected by mental illnesses. Through education, support, and advocacy we strive to effect positive changes in the mental health system and increase the public and professional understanding of mental illnesses. Visit our website at www.namimn.org.
You’re Not Alone: In Conversation with Beth Lovre
“It gets pretty lonely as a parent with a child who has additional needs. I want families to know that there are resources out there. That there’s someone to talk to.” As a mom of two kids with diagnosed mental health challenges, Beth Lovre has navigated the often daunting mental health system for over 15 years. “As parents, we don’t have a book to say, this is what we need to do. And we don’t always know what’s out there,” Beth explains. “Being able to get a case manager for my son and receive support from other parents was a real game changer for us.” Compelled by the profound impact these services had on her and her family, Beth left her corporate career and became a Family Peer Specialist at National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Minnesota. “I felt that I needed to do this for other people,” she says.
Using her lived experience, Beth facilitates educational opportunities for families to learn more about mental health resources and practices. One of those opportunities is NAMI Family Fun Day this month at Caponi Art Park. “We’re looking to get families together, to let them know that they’re not alone, give them resources that are right in the local community, and present activities that they can take home with them.” The free, hands-on event will feature a series of workshops and activities, ranging from mandala rock painting to scavenger hunting to forest bathing to drumming exercises. “Everyone needs to take that downtime to figure out what brings us joy. And so this is an opportunity just to see what brings you joy,” Beth continues.
Everyone –of all ages, backgrounds, and states of mind– can take something away from Family Fun Day. As Beth puts it, “Everybody has a brain, so everybody has mental health.” Because stress ebbs and flows throughout our lives, Beth believes in the value of learning mindfulness strategies, and that it’s never too late to do so. Reflecting on her upbringing, she explains, “For my generation, so I’m in my 40s, right? We didn’t learn mindfulness. We didn’t talk about emotions. A lot of us as adults and parents are learning, too.”
In Beth’s eyes, Caponi Art Park is an accessible resource in and of itself for enhancing well-being. “When we’re in the cities, we don’t always realize, hey, there is this great, free place to go that’s only a 15-minute drive where we can experience nature and stillness.” Beth adds, “For me, it’s Zen. The art’s built into it!”
“Bring the whole family” and join Beth, NAMI, and Caponi staff and volunteers for a day of art, engagement, community, education, and mindfulness.