Since it first opened in 2019, the New London Counseling Center (NLCC) has been providing the Southern Chester County community with quality and compassionate mental health services in the areas of individual, family, group and couples therapy, as well as workshops and collaborations with other agencies.

This Saturday morning, however, NLCC is inviting community members and families to lace up their sneakers and celebrate wellness in the great outdoors. In celebration of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, NLCC will be launching its first Walk For Wellness, which will be held at the Glenroy Preserve in Nottingham, beginning at 10 a.m.

Walk for Wellness, which will be free to the public and sponsored by several local partners, will offer participants their choice of a family-friendly scavenger hunt, a 3-mile trail walk or run and a 5-mile trail run through the preserve. The event was conceived by New London Counseling Center Executive Director Dr. Katie Bowman, to promote the connection of the mind, the body and the spirit.

“Dr. Bowman’s vision is to encourage connection with nature as a way to promote one’s mental well-being,” said Office Manager Michelle Sapp. “The folks at Glenroy Preserve love the vision and love the idea of bringing the community together to encourage wellness.”

Development Manager Megann Graf said that the Walk for Wellness will have another two-fold purpose.

“Our biggest mission is to get people to know more about what we’ve done here for the past five years, and to promote the availability and accessibility of mental health care in our community, regardless of one’s ability to pay and regardless of where they are from,” she said. “We also want to care for people with regard to their mental health, whether they go for a 5-mile run in the woods or enjoy a nice hike with their family, we hope this will have a positive effect on their mind and body.”

The Walk for Wellness will also include donated services that will include face painting, outdoor lawn games and crafts. Event sponsors include The Sanders Team at KellerWilliams, the Bethany Christian School, Go-N-Play, GIANT food stores, Abbott Imagery, Fitchett Chiropractic, Herr’s Foods, the Sandoval Team Crosscountry Mortgage and Bill and Melissa Hostetter. 

The Walk for Wellness will be held on May 18 at Glenroy Preserve, 5 West Christine Road in Nottingham, and is free and open to the public. Check-in and registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. The rain date is May 19, with registration beginning at 11:30 a.m. (Some activities may not be available on the rain date.) Additional sponsorship levels are still available, which will go toward NLCC’s community programming. To pre-register for the event, and for a complete description of its services, visit the New London Counseling center’s website at www.newlondoncounselingcenter.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].