As Gracie Parker said, sometimes you just need to do it yourself. Even if you’re still in elementary school.
Parker, a fourth grader at South Macon Elementary, and her friends led a coalition down Main Street on Sunday, April 30, to punctuate the inaugural Mental Health Help Rally in downtown Franklin.
The two-hour event featured multiple speakers, including principals, local and state elected leaders, and more speaking at the gazebo.
Parker noted that trauma counselors in schools are going away in 2024 due to pandemic-assistance funding expiring, and that there are waiting lists for counseling outside of the school system.
Parker said five students in her class of 19 have talked about trauma that requires counseling, and she guestimates that means hundreds of kids across the county also have suffered trauma, calling it unacceptable.
Parker said she’s thankful to be able to see a trauma counselor on a regular basis but there are many other kids who don’t have the same opportunity.
“My friends open up to me, I can hug them, love them; I am their friend, but I am not a trauma counselor,” Parker said. “Our town, our county and our community is better than this; we’re crying while you’re thriving.”
Parker led the crowd from the Macon County Courthouse down Main Street. She led chants for increased numbers of trauma counselors in schools and increased awareness for the mental health needs of young people. At the front doors of Franklin Town Hall, Mayor Jack Horton met Parker there as she taped the goals of the rally to the door.
At the end of the march, Parker said the Town of Franklin has allowed her to make the Mental Health Help Rally an annual event.