🧠 May is Mental Health Awareness Month: KeeKee Cares About Accessible Support for All

In the heart of Rochester, where daily stress meets systemic struggle, mental health is too often overlooked. But for Chiara "KeeKee" Smith, this issue isn’t an afterthought—it’s a top priority. As May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, KeeKee is standing up to say: everyone deserves access to mental health support—no matter their zip code, income level, or background.

The Crisis We’re Facing

Across the city, families are silently battling anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief. Our youth are overwhelmed. Our elders feel isolated. Parents and workers are burned out. Yet for many, therapy is out of reach—either because of the cost, the stigma, or the lack of local, trusted providers.

KeeKee sees it every day in her work with community members, from barbershops to schools, from single mothers to returning citizens. She knows that healing starts with listening—and continues with access to care.

What KeeKee Is Fighting For

As a City Council member, KeeKee will:

• Champion barrier-free mental health services in every neighborhood

• Expand school-based mental health programs for children and teens

• Create partnerships with local clinics to offer walk-in therapy and trauma-informed care

• Fund mobile mental health units to serve those who can’t travel to a facility

• Support culturally competent care—because healing looks different in every community

“KeeKee Cares” Isn’t Just a Slogan

Mental health awareness isn’t about a single month on the calendar—it’s about building a community where people feel seen, heard, and supported. KeeKee is committed to making sure Rochester becomes that community.

This May, let’s do more than raise awareness. Let’s raise standards—and provide real, affordable, local solutions that save lives.

Because KeeKee Cares—and Rochester deserves better.