OneBigConnection.org launches during Mental Health Awareness Month

Adapted from 5 Healthy Towns Foundation news release

To foster and build community connections, optimism, resilience, and engagement, 5 Healthy Towns Foundation (5HF) and its partners are launching OneBigConnection.org (OBC) in May 2021, during Mental Health Awareness Month. OneBigConnection.org is a new virtual platform tool that anyone in the 5HF service area can use.

OneBigConnection.org will create an online community where residents can share information and quickly find local resources. It is also a place to come together in action teams to address important issues for community members, like isolation and youth mental health. 

“This site, funded with Wellness Coalition money, belongs to the community,” says 5HF CEO Amy Heydlauff. “The rich resources you will find at OneBigConnection.org highlight the good people in our five towns, caring for each other.”

The site includes:

• Action Teams will be places to come together, post information, and solve local challenges.
• Facts and Figures will house current local and regional statistics and peer-reviewed articles to keep the community informed. The information also can be used by area nonprofits in grant applications or strategic planning.
• A Resource Directory will allow local nonprofit service providers to post their information on a variety of topics addressing vital conditions like mental health and outreach services, reliable transportation, health and safety services, and social supports.
• Events will be a place where community organizations can promote upcoming events open to the community.
• Community Pulse will feature articles, commentary by local experts, and publications of interest.
• Polls and Surveys is an opt-in text messaging service that will provide occasional updates about events and opportunities in the 5HF service area. Participants will receive quick, one-question surveys to monitor community points of view. 

New information and features will be made available in the coming weeks and months as 5HF receives user and partner feedback. According to Lori Kintz, 5HF’s coalition coordinator and OneBigConnection editor, “The platform is a work in progress. Every week new information and resources will be added until the site is so robust it becomes a regular part of our online routine.”

This free platform is a project sponsored by One Big Thing, a collaborative initiative launched in 2019 with Michigan Medicine/Family Medicine, St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health, and the 5HF Community Wellness Coalitions. Its goal is to promote positive mental health practices and decrease mental health crisis situations in local communities. 

“We hope that OBC will be a positive step to help individuals make healthy connections, find interesting and vital resources they trust, and reduce the discomfort surrounding mental health conversations,” added Heydlauff.

5HF is planning a free 30-minute demo of the site in June. Watch for updates on their FaceBook page.