Mental Health Awareness; Bellevue water park

Mental Health Awareness month is observed each May to increase understanding of mental health and its impact on individuals and communities.

Over 40% of people surveyed across Cass, Douglas, and Sarpy Counties reported they would hide their mental health condition from friends and family. Reducing the stigma of mental health encourages people to ask for support and seek help when needed.

Further, the Metro Region 2021 Community Health Assessment showed those who identified as female, younger (ages 18-39), low-income, Hispanic or “other race” were less likely to have been able to access mental health services when they needed, as compared to others.

We need equitable, appropriate, and accessible mental health resources. With treatment, those with mental health conditions can recover and lead full and productive lives.

This May and beyond, I encourage everyone to do the following things:

• Educate themselves and others about mental health conditions, treatment options, and available resources.
• Challenge stigma by speaking respectfully and inclusively about mental health.
• Read stories about community members who are addressing mental health at our WhatMakesUs campaign.
• Seek help if you are struggling with your mental health and encourage others to do the same.
• Create safe and supportive environments for open conversations about mental health.

Together, we can create a community where everyone feels empowered to prioritize their mental health and seek help when needed.

Sheena Helgenberger, Omaha

Kyle Rhone, who is running for Bellevue City Council, asks “”Who’s going to come to Bellevue, Nebraska, as a destination location from Denver? From Kansas City?” and goes on to say the idea is outlandish. Why is he so quick to condemn the idea when, by his own admission, he doesn’t have enough information to say if it is worth the risk?

Bellevue, while perhaps not a destination in itself, is a suburb of Omaha, and people will come to the Omaha area for a variety of reasons. Does he know that the Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas is actually in Grapevine? And the one in Houston is actually in a tiny suburb called Webster, population 10,000? Cedar Point amusement park is in Sandusky, Ohio, over an hour from the nearest big city. Those businesses are very successful. We need forward thinking to create opportunities for growth, not knee-jerk pessimism.

Prashant Joshi, MD, Omaha

Over half of the greater Omaha metro area’s volunteer needs go unserved each week.

As we enter National Volunteer Month, and soon SHARE Omaha’s Do Good Days from April 24-27, it is clear we need to expand the volunteer base desperately needed by nonprofits across the Midlands.

Do Good Days is our community’s opportunity to help ensure vital organizations have the support they need to complete their mission work. SHARE Omaha has a big goal of 2,000 volunteer sign-ups to jumpstart a new wave of contagious volunteerism that can continue through the year.

The local volunteer shortage not only means work left undone, but also a missed opportunity for potential financial support. I’m inspired to know that 85% of volunteers also donate to the nonprofits they serve.

Here’s the good news. Hundreds of local nonprofits are rolling out the red carpet during Do Good Days so that you can experience all the benefits of volunteerism and see the power of local causes firsthand. There are so many exciting opportunities, I want to be in two places at once!

If you are unable to volunteer during Do Good Days, I encourage you to “give good” and double the power of each volunteer hour served. Join me in doing a little dance of joy for every gift that you send, starting today, to incredible local nonprofits. Donations of every size really do matter.

I know our community cares. Thank you for each and every way you are already serving and supporting our community.

Will you raise your hand to help erase our region’s volunteer shortage? Sign up for an opportunity, give a gift and share this message to help shape the community you want to live in.

I think the Omaha version of the game should have a couple of the squares cut out and called potholes. One of the “Chance” cards could be unexpected bent rim repairs and one of the “Community Chest” cards could ask for more money to help pay for the streetcar project that will most likely go over budget.

The March 17 article about nuclear missiles in Nebraska and nearby states reported a 37% cost overrun in making nuclear weapons modernized. The U.S. will waste $1.5 trillion to make nuclear weapons more useable and the world more dangerous. Instead of another arms race, why doesn’t the U.S. do something creative and initiate a “disarmament race”?

In April 1963, President Eisenhower, who knew as much about war and death as anyone, told us: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.”

In his famous June 1963, “Peace Speech”, President Kennedy said: “Let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable — that mankind is doomed.”

About treaties, Kennedy reminded us: “No treaty, however much it may be to the advantage of all, however tightly it may be worded, can provide absolute security against the risks of deception and evasion. But it can, if it is sufficiently effective in its enforcement and if it is sufficiently in the interests of its signers, offer far more security and far fewer risks than an unabated, uncontrolled, unpredictable arms race.”

Through treaties and common sense, the world has reduced the number of nuclear weapons by almost 80% since 1985. But the remaining 13,000+ weapons could kill billions and cause a nuclear winter making our planet unlivable. Stop the insanity.

Al Mytty, Champaign, Illinois

Member, Nebraskans for Peace

For far too long, innocent Palestinian civilians, including women and children, have been subjected to unimaginable suffering and violence at the hands of the Israeli government. After more than 34,000 Palestinians most of are women and children have been killed by the Zionist state of Israel. It took the death and killing of seven international aid workers to stir Western governments into an outrage. However, this outrage should have come much sooner.

The lawless and reckless actions of the state of Israel, led by Netanyahu, have contributed to this senseless loss of life. It is unacceptable that our president and Congress continue to support this with money and weapons, funded by our tax dollars. While they may pay lip service to humanitarian aid for Gaza, their actions speak louder than words as they continue to supply weapons and bombs that only serve to perpetuate the cycle of violence and death.

Our leaders turn a blind eye, hiding behind hollow promises of investigations that lead nowhere. The international community has condemned these atrocities time and time again, yet we stand idly by as the killing continues unabated. We cannot continue to ignore the countless videos and images documenting the horrific crimes committed against innocent Palestinians.

The time for action is now to bring an end to the violence and suffering in Palestine.

Will the people who are stealing political yard signs please stop it! It’s stupid because it reflects badly on the opposing party, as the homeowner tells his friends and neighbors of the event. It’s hooliganism because it commits the crimes of theft and trespassing. It’s also intimidating, which is what hooligans do. I’m sure in their hearts, these people are not stupid hooligans. Please stop acting that way!