Happy and Healthy Hour is put on by the Counseling Center every Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Kanter Student Center atrium.

Tabetha Waggoner, Student Counselor, said that Happy and Healthy hours helps promote different ways to be healthy, whether it is mental health or physical health.

“We wanted to do it for outreach in order to educate students,” Waggoner said.

Students can get involved by stopping by or having their club co-sponsor the event. To be a co-sponsor, clubs need can email the Counseling Center’s director, Alicia Dorcey, or email the counseling center saying they are interested in having a table at their Thursday events, Waggoner said.

Each week there is a different theme. On Sept. 9, Active Minds acted as a co-sponsor for the suicide prevention theme, and on Sept. 16, the theme was self-care.

Active Minds President, Hannah Mills, said they made DIY fidget snakes out of beads and string.

“It was really good; it was really fun. A lot of people were interested in just doing a craft,” Mills said. “As president of Active Minds, we try to coordinate activities with the Counseling Center a lot just because a lot of our ideas intermingle.”

Mills said that the event allowed Active Minds members to gain more awareness of what the Counseling Center does.

“I think you gain a lot of knowledge. You get to know the counselors better and you gain a lot of experience,” Mills said.

Brianna Parsons, Wellness Coordinator for the Student Activities Board, often participates in Happy and Healthy Hour as part of her job.

“College is stressful, so having an hour just to come relax and do something stress-free is really important,” Parsons said.

Parsons said she can always find one or two people she knows at the event to catch up with. The participation in the event provides students with stress relief and makes them happy. She also said that co-sponsoring is a good volunteer opportunity.

The goal of Happy and Healthy Hour is for students to learn how to take care of their mental and physical health in a healthy way, Waggoner said.

Mills said that Happy and Healthy Hour allows students to just hang out and take a break from academic life.

“Happy and Healthy Hour is often times slept on, so if you want to go, then go, because it is a fun time,” Mills said.