Books and Fidgets and Stuffies, Oh My!: Get Hands-On with Wellness

Thursday June 12, 2025 1:15pm - 2:35pmEDT

Ballroom 3, Pastides Alumni Center@900 Senate Street, Columbia, SC 29201

We are excited to present alongside our Ambassador, John Siegel, with our Walt’s Waltz Stigma-Free Environment, USC Upstate!

Recognizing a rise in mental health concerns among college students, employees at a university library searched for ways to destigmatize mental illness and support mental health on campus. These efforts opened the door to broader conversations about student employee wellness, neurodiversity, and faculty/staff wellbeing. This session will cover the library's different initiatives including a book collection, wellness kits, and outreach and partnerships across campus and the community. In this interactive experience, attendees will get hands-on with sensory toys, weighted stuffed animals, and meditation tools in a wellness kit petting zoo. Then, the founder of Walt’s Waltz will lead a Painting Mental Health mini-workshop. Come get creative and explore opportunities to support student, faculty, and staff wellbeing at your library!

Moderator: Allison Read, USC Upstate