According to data from Mental Health America (MHA), over 7 million Black Americans report having mental illness. BIPOC are often faced with years - even generations - of trauma, which translates to socioeconomic disparities and, in turn, is linked to mental health concerns today.

Cobb Collaborative has a new "Mental Health Resources for Black Communities" downloadable PDF free on our website. To access this information, please click here.

For additional mental health information and resources, please visit our Mind Your Mind webpage by clicking here.

988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This line is available via call or text.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. The Lifeline is comprised of a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, combining custom local care and resources with national standards and best practices.

1-800-273-8255 will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis. Veterans, press 1 at the prompt.

One of the most successful ways to improve the reading achievement of children is to increase access to books, especially at home. The Cobb Collaborative works to accomplish this through the installation and upkeep of Little Free Libraries in our community. These book-sharing boxes remove barriers to book access by being available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day with free accessibility. LFLs operate under the “Take One, Leave One” theory which encourages readers to not only take a book, but to leave one for others when there is an ability to do so. This is a quintessential collaborative effort, with additional partners including Cobb County School District, United Way of Greater Atlanta Northwest Region, Scout troops, businesses, civic associations and Greystone Power.

We are EXCITED to share that we have dedicated four new LFLs in Cobb County in recent weeks.

On July 1, we dedicated a LFL at Pine Street Park in Austell. Austell Mayor Ollie Clemmons and Councilwoman Valerie Anderson joined us for this ribbon cutting. We would like to extend our THANKS to Austell Parks and Rec manager Zach Evans for his assistance as well.

On July 11, we dedicated a LFL on Highland Park Drive in Smyrna. We would like to recognize Ben Baughman for his efforts in getting this LFL established in the community. And we would also like to recognize Deb Baughman, Ben's wife, for painting this lovely LFL to include a Robert Burns quote about "The Highlands." Also present at this dedication was newly elected Smyrna Councilwoman, LaTonia Hines.

On July 12, we dedicated a LFL at Princeton Academy in Marietta. This LFL was sponsored by our friends at Green Mellen who were on hand for the ribbon cutting. Also present for the dedication were Ms. Offiong Ajayi (Ms. Offi) - director of Princeton Academy, Christine Ramirez- Director of the Emily Lembeck Early Learning Center, Carlos Garcia- Hispanic Liaison for the Cobb County Sheriff's Office, and Trace Godoy and Brooke Barard with The One In Me. (Click here to download a press release for this event.)

On July 16, we partnered with the Heritage Club HOA in Kennesaw to bring a LFL to their community. This process began back in February with Irene presenting to the social committee about the history and benefits of LFLs. Fast forward to a warm July morning where the committee brought in story tellers, lunch, crafts and more to celebrate the official opening!

Please submit a cover letter and resume to Kaitlyn Ball, Vote Your Voice Coordinator. Applications will be accepted until August 26, 2022. The cover letter should be concise, compelling, and include why you would like to be an intern for Cobb Collaborative.

We are consistently add new events to our calendar! Be sure to check out our website for a full list of upcoming programming.

For additional resources, please click here for our Q2 Resource Newsletter.

Please register for the event by July 29, 2022 by clicking here. Space is limited and parking information will be provided post-registration. If you have any questions regarding the event or miss the registration deadline, please contact Jessica Dent.