Education and outreach is on the menu for 200 guests expected to lunch and learn during the eighth annual Picnic with Purpose at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort Oct. 9.
The event is organized by Wilmington Health Access for Teens (WHAT), a local nonprofit that provides physical and mental health services for young people ages 11 to 24.
The event is free to attend. Following presentations on the services WHAT provides for local young people and a keynote address by Trot Nixon, New Hanover High School alum and former Major League Baseball player, guests will be asked to donate.
The 2013 Picnic with Purpose generated more than $20,000 in donations, which helped the organization care for 12,000 patients at its main facility on Oleander Drive and three health care centers in New Hanover, Laney and Ashley high schools.
The staff at each location includes a mental health professional and a registered dietician to help students with prevention as well as treatment.
Mary Martin, WHAT marketing specialist, said it benefits the entire community to invest in the health of the next generation, especially young people who do not have access to care.
“I don’t know if they get enough attention. These are our future leaders, and letting them know that there’s someone they can come to, especially in the schools, allows them to be more independent with their health care and the choices they make regarding their health,” Martin said.
Cris Point, who serves on WHAT’s board of directors, sponsors a table at the event each year. She said she stays active with the organization because she is concerned about services available for young people.
“This is our future. I’m particularly happy that we have mental health programs for adolescents along with physical healthcare needs. … There are so many things that a lot of adolescents don’t have access to, especially if their parents don’t have insurance,” Point said.
Patients without insurance can pay for services through a sliding-fee scale. WHAT also accepts private insurance and Medicaid.
“We never turn anyone away,” Martin said.
Picnic with Purpose will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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