Time again for a community spotlight, this time from our offices.

We are joined today by Sharon Gentry.

She is the Lutheran Community Services Northwest district director.

So tell me, Sharon, what is LCSNW?

Lutheran Community Services is a private, nonprofit organization.

We have offices throughout Washington, Oregon, and one in Boise, Idaho, and we all specialize in different services.

Right here in the Tri-Cities, we specialize in children's intensive services, and are expanding our array to provide a continuum of care for children and adolescents and their families.

We also provide mental health first aid training in our community.

The holidays are a tough time for a lot of people and you guys just got a grant $7,500.

It's going to help another 180 participants in mental health first aid training.

You guys have been offering it for free for years now.

Tell me, yeah, what is mental health first aid?

How do people get involved?

Yeah.

So we have a link on our website where you can sign up and take the training.

Mental health first aid is kind of a similar concept to what we know of first aid training, which is when you see someone that's hurt or injured physically, you can be a first responder and render that initial aid to someone.

While mental health first aid is when you see someone who may be experiencing signs or symptoms, or maybe you don't know what that is at first...

So mental health first aid can train someone to kind of recognize what those are.

So you can be that initial support at the beginning and be able to sit with someone, maybe offer that initial encouragement and support to link them to additional supports and services so that they can get the additional help that they need.

And Sharon, you're a trainer too, not just the district director.

You're very involved.

Why?

What's the heart here?

Yeah.

So I kind of stood back for a while and let other staff get involved.

And I wanted to just give staff an opportunity because they were so enthusiastic about this curriculum.

And then finally, it was my turn.

I got to be next in line to go get trained.

The curriculum is just amazing.

And to see participants really embrace that training and be able to know that they are out there and being able to offer that support, whether they're a teacher or a pastor or a school counselor or a coach, really warms my heart.

And to know that there are people out in our community offering that support to someone who might be struggling is what matters to me.

Well, Sharon, thank you for all you do.

Thanks for all Lutheran Community Services does as well.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Tracci.