Virginia Tour + Wellness Fairs 2022

Now that I'm back home and the pollen has settled a bit, I'm reflecting on my time in Virginia with two incredible 5 Bridges Agency partners, Chesterfield County CSB and Mt. Rogers CSB. I am reminded of just how impactful their work is in their communities. I feel so much gratitude that our system has played even a small part in their impact.

This year, back in-person, these community service partners took a big leap with us to co-host not ONE but TWO 5 Bridges Wellness Fairs... within the same week. It was a whirlwind, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Their hard work and dedication to sustainable, holistic wellness for their staff and those they serve is beyond commendable.

I write this not only to recap the stats (which we all know I love) but more importantly to recognize, honor, and celebrate the amazing work of these two Agency partners in the state of Virginia.

P.S. Scroll to the end for fun behind-the-scenes bits from my documentary!

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD WELLNESS FAIR - MAY 18th

Melissa Ackley and the team at Chesterfield CSB did a great job at organizing an engaging event that shows how 5 Bridges can support the needs of staff.

We were able to GIVE engaging clarity sessions for Chesterfield County employees, then made our MOVE to explore the farmer’s market. What a tangible way this community can sustainably FUEL themselves and the ones they serve. We even visited a popular REST stop on the campus at the sensory garden with apiary and then took some time to BOND with the chickens at the County Library.

All-in-all nearly 200 staff members were served through 8 workshops, 13 stations and we saw so many smiling faces and impact galore (especially at the animal adoption station). It was a real treat. We are so proud of the team at Chesterfield County CSB and their community partners for a wonderful fair.

MOUNT ROGERS COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD WELLNESS FAIR - MAY 20th

Not but two days later, we were in Smyth County celebrating the hard work of the Mt. Rogers CSB team and their partnership with Twin County Prevention Coalition and Hungry Mother State Park.

Their outdoor fair took the 5 Bridges to the next level. We watched as over 1,500 attendees in this community embraced so many new ways to BOND, FUEL, MOVE, REST, and GIVE. I was truly inspired to see the program thriving in this region and to have the electricity of not only being back in-person and together, but to have seen the dedication of this team surpass goals for their inaugural 5 Bridges Wellness Fair in 2018.

They worked hard to secure 60+ vendor stations, including all the fan-favorites such as food trucks, activities, and even live music by Jarid Reedy. I also want to thank Samantha Crockett for allowing me to share my personal mental health story and what lead to the creation of the 5 Bridges. What did I tell you? Jam-packed couple of days of awesome-ness, right?

I love the state of Virginia and the communities we have been able to impact and serve over the years. So, we took this time to really get to know the people even more. In May we traveled from the D.C. area all the way down to the tip of SWVA interviewing 19 individuals about community collaboration. We filmed these conversations with a professional film crew and are so excited for you to see what projects we have cooking this year!

In this time of connecting with these collaborators, we visited two jails, faith-based organizations, Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute, the Wise County Sheriff’s Department, and UVA Wise. We have seen remarkable work and results of the 5 Bridges programs across SWVA in substance use and suicide prevention, as well as those living-in-recovery. We wanted to share this message and had the pleasure of sitting down with Virginia Attorney General, Jason Miyares and Chief Deputy, Chuck Slemp.

On behalf of everyone who was a part of our wonderful May in Virginia, I extend a HUGE thank you and my deepest gratitude to y'all. 😉

Jacob Moore, Creator & Chief Coach