Downtown Buffalo Was Full Of Energy For Mental Health Awareness Fair

The weather, which was nearly perfect for what was planned, relatively warm temps and a bright sun, quickly turned to thunderstorms with lighting; but that didn't stop the Restoration Society Inc. and the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library from gathering together with several other communities groups to host their 12th Annual Mental Health Awareness Fair and Flash Mob at Buffalo’s Reading Park.

The Mental Health Awareness Fair and Flash Mob, which had a few hundred people floating in and out of the various activities, right in the middle of downtown Buffalo at the Central Library in Lafayette Square on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

More than 70 years ago, the month of May was designated as Mental Health Awareness Month. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) details how Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in America for more than 7 decades and how there is growing national support to raise awareness about the importance of keeping mentally healthy.

Downtown Buffalo Was Full Of Energy For Mental Health Awareness Fair

For the last dozen years, mental health advocates have gathered in downtown Buffalo raise the collective knowledge surrounding the need to improve the general mental health of the people in Buffalo.

The event was started due to a tragedy that occurred in 2012 after Jonathan Ramos, a student at the University at Buffalo who committed suicide after a long struggle with mental health issues. The death of Ramos moved people so much that they decided to start having the awareness fair and flash mob to help bring more attention to the issues of mental health and to highlight all the resources that are available.

Over the last decade, organizers has seen this event grow year over year. People who attended the Mental Health Awareness Fair and Flash Mob were able to meet with mental health advocates, learn about different community resources that were available, enjoy free food and other refreshments, and enjoy some musical entertainment out in Lafayette Square.

This years fair and flash mob was supported by The County Department of Health, the New York State Department of Health, The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Restoration Society, The Erie County Restorative Justice Coalition, Endeavor Health Services, The Buffalo Urban League, Buffalo Police Department, Mental Health Advocates of WNY, WNY Independent Living, and countless other groups.