Hundreds Attend GGUSD’s First Choose Wellness Event

Parent and Community Outreach welcomes guests to Choose Wellness event

More than 200 parents, staff, and students attended Garden Grove Unified School District’s (GGUSD) first Choose Wellness event at Alamitos Intermediate School on January 30. The event was part of the district’s Choose Wellness campaign and featured a Resource Fair and workshops covering a variety of topics relating to mental health and wellness.

During the event, Board of Education Vice President Teri Rocco provided opening remarks about the school board and district’s commitment to supporting the socio-emotional well-being of students, staff, and families.  This was the first of five districtwide Choose Wellness events that will be co-sponsored by the Board of Education members and held in GGUSD’s five trustee areas. 

“School age children are facing more stress than ever before and we want to stop the stigma around seeking help for a mental health or emotional issue,” said Rocco. “We want to ensure that every student and all GGUSD staff members and families know there is always a safe place to turn for help.  This event provided our community with the very best resources to help with wellness.

After the Resource Fair, parents chose two of 20 workshops to attend, including Creating a Family Wellness Plan, Suicide Prevention, Mental Health 101, Stress Reduction for Parents, Bullying Prevention, Immigration Rights, Online Safety, and more. Students attended workshops about wellness strategies and creating a warm and welcoming climate at their schools. 

The workshops were provided by community partners like the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, the Illumination Institute, OC Wellness, the Garden Grove Police Department, the Anti-Defamation League, and other trusted organizations. 

The Board of Education launched Resolution 11 in September to reaffirm its commitment to supporting the mental health and wellness needs of the GGUSD community.  The next Choose Wellness event will take place on May 4 at Santiago High School and will be co-hosted by Board of Education President Walter Muneton.