Thank you for spreading the word during Mental Health Awareness Month!
May 2025 was one for the record books! Check out our Mental Health Awareness Month 2025 Impact Report to see a snapshot of everything that happened across the state! Don’t forget, there’s tons of ways to stay involved year round below!
Take the Make It OK Pledge
Take the online pledge to stand up to mental illness stigma in Iowa, and to receive information from Make It OK.
Register Your Workplace
Employers are invited to become a registered workplace to receive access to exclusive resources at different tiers!
Visit the Make It OK Store
Check our our store to purchase Make It OK swag for May and support our ongoing work!
Make It OK is a community campaign to reduce stigma by starting conversations and increasing understanding about mental illness. Make It OK offers resources, tools, and personal stories about mental illness to ensure Iowans have the tools they need to support their own mental health and educate those around them.
To learn more about Make It OK, attend an upcoming Make It OK presentation from the calendar below, or sign-up as a Make It OK Registered Workplace. For more information visit MakeItOK.org/Iowa.
What is
Make It OK Events in May
May 1| Chalk the Town Green
Join us as we put awareness into action starting on May 1st by chalking uplifting messages in your communities. We invite all Iowans to chalk simple kindness across the state to remind and raise mental health awareness.
May 1 | Make It OK to Talk about Mental Illness Presentation
Learn how you can get involved with Make It OK in this free virtual presentation!
Make a statement and show your support for Mental Health Awareness Month by wearing your favorite green clothes on May 14th!
May 14 | Wear Green Day
May 18 | Make It OK to Talk about Mental Illness Presentation
Learn how you can get involved with Make It OK in this free virtual presentation.
More Make It OK Resources
-
-
-
Track your healthy mindful moment habits to make them stick with the Make It OK Habit Tracker.
-
Read the Make It OK stories of Iowa Athletes as they help us fight stigma in Iowa. (Stories coming soon!)
Ethan Hurkett (Football, Right End)
Payton Sandfort (Men’s Basketball, Forward)
Kelli McGroarty (Women’s Soccer, Forward/Mid Field)
JerQuavia Henderson (Women’s Gymnastics, All Around)
Logan Jones (Football, Center)
-
Below are the stories of brave Iowans who have shared their stories in the hopes of reducing stigma, and helping others feel less alone in their struggle with mental illness. By sharing our personal stories, we can start important conversations and normalize mental health. Stories are organized by the illnesses they discuss.
-
-
Back the Black
Back the Black is a sister campaign to Make It OK created by and for the Black Community in Iowa. It was crafted over months by a dedicated focus group of Black professionals, who worked to brainstorm, strategize, and present ideas on how to modify the message from Healthiest State’s general Make It OK campaign and present it more effectively to the Black community.
To learn more, make the commitment, and register your organization visit iowahealthieststate.com/back-the-black
Support Make It OK
Mental health matters – but stigma often prevents people from getting the support they need. Make It OK is working to change that by encouraging open conversations and educating Iowans on their understanding around mental health. Your generosity and support makes that work possible. Your donation helps us provide mental health resources, education and outreach, and community support programs. Donate below or viavenmo @IowahealthieststateInitiative.
