Fresh Check Day, a nationwide initiative focused on suicide prevention and mental health awareness, made its University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh debut with interactive booths, student-led outreach, and creative activities designed to spark connection and conversation.
“This is the first time we’ve hosted Fresh Check Day at UWO,” said Kim Helm-Quest, health promotion manager at the Student Health Center and a 2022 UWO alum with a master’s in social work. “We’re hoping to host another one in September. The goal is to promote mental well-being, educate students on the warning signs of suicide and offer coping strategies, all while building a sense of community and campus pride.”
Fresh Check Day kicked of Mental Health Awareness Month on the UW-Oshkosh campus.
Fresh Check Day, which takes place during Mental Health Awareness Month, is the signature program of the Jordan Porco Foundation, created in honor of a young man who died by suicide. Helm-Quest said UWO was able to host the event free of charge thanks to a grant from the Kubly Foundation, which selected several Wisconsin campuses for funding.
The event’s message was clear: mental health matters, and UWO students are not alone. Booths stretched across the lawn, each offering a different take on wellness. From yoga mats to coloring stations, students could learn, engage or simply take a moment for themselves.
One booth, “Nine Out of Ten,” focused on suicide prevention and the importance of peer support. Another called “Unique” invited students to write down an insecurity, toss it in the trash, and then write a positive affirmation on a mirror.
Promote well-being
“It’s about building body neutrality and shifting focus away from appearance and toward what our bodies do for us,” Helm-Quest said. “We’re encouraging students to reflect on what they like about themselves and to let go of negative self-talk.”
Lauren Piumbroeck, a sophomore nursing major from Green Bay and health advocate for Fletcher Hall, helped run the body positivity station.
“We’re just trying to promote the well-being of other students,” she said. “It’s a great way to help people see themselves in a better light and remind them they’re not alone.”
Another interactive booth called “Follow Your Art” encouraged students to color in a large canvas showing a bird’s-eye view of the UWO campus nestled between the Fox River and Lake Winnebago. The visual was not only a nod to the beauty of the university’s location but also part of a larger message about community connection, pride in place and holistic health, including the choice to avoid vaping and smoking.
Helm-Quest emphasized that the event was designed to meet students where they are, especially in a time of increasing mental health concerns.
Sannai Pettis and Rose Heu, both first year students majoring in social work, spend time at the UWO Fresh Check Day event.
“Since COVID, we’ve seen a loss of social connection. It’s something the former U.S. Surgeon General called a crisis, an epidemic of isolation,” she said. “Events like this show students they’re surrounded by a community that cares.”
That message resonated deeply with students Rose Heu and Sanai Pettis, both freshmen majoring in social work. The pair stumbled across the event and were immediately drawn in.
“I like it,” said Heu, of Oshkosh. “It’s good to know we have resources on campus and that they’re promoting it actively out here where people can see it.”
Pettis, who is from Milwaukee, agreed. “Especially with it being such a nice day, everyone’s outside. The biggest thing people say is, ‘Oh, I didn’t know we had that.’ Well, now they can’t say that!”
For both students, mental health is a top priority, especially as final exams approach.Their go-to coping mechanism? The massage chairs in the Student Success Center’s counseling space. “Literally, we’ve been going every day,” Heu said. “You sit there for 30 minutes and feel weightless.” 
The pair said they actively encourage others to use campus resources, from counseling to wellness activities.
“It’s so helpful,” Pettis said. “We always tell people about it.”
Both students were especially moved by the affirmations written at the body positivity booth. Pettis’ body positive message to herself highlights her “great glutes.” Heu’s? “Your smile shines as bright as the sun.”
Positive affirmations from others include: ‘You can’t be pushed down by anyone.” “I am very creative,” and “I am enough.”
For Helm-Quest and the Student Health Center team, the success of the first Fresh Check Day is just the beginning.
“We want students to take responsibility for their own health and the health of their fellow Titans,” she said. “And we want them to know that they’re not alone; there’s a whole community here that supports them.”
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