The Active Minds club at Rio Hondo is gentle, kind and informative with everyone they meet.

The members who support The Active Minds Organization are Valencia Carlin, Nicole Moore, Irene Reyes and Jim Grant. The Club Advisors are Mark Matusi and Lynn Weddington. They oversee the club at the meetings.

The Active Minds Organization has been around for 10 years and has over 400 campus chapters nationwide. The Administration was eager to have the active minds at Rio Hondo to further benefit the students.

Jessica Dammarsch heads the project. Dammarsch and Grant are the Inner Club Council Representatives and along with 3 others they are also Student Ambassador for the Disabled Student Programs & Services Department.

Many of the people aforementioned attended a Regional Conference of Active Minds and realized the benefit of having this at Rio Hondo to further support the students. They heard touching stories from individuals and saw how significant it was to continue their work.

With education, Active Minds addresses the subject of and support those with mental illness. They are also there for those who are struggling with depression and tough times.

Active Minds not only educates, it also helps in the best way possible with fun social activities. When suffering with mental illness or melancholy in general it is important to have such activities where you can make friends and communicate with those who can relate.

They have aviation themed activity day where they will be holding a paper airplane flying contest they from one of the second of story buildings along with watching “The Fantastic Men & Their Flying Machines”, an old classic.

Active minds are an essential support system for a healthy functioning campus. It is there for those who feel like they have no one to talk to about issues such as suicide, mental illness, unhealthy relationships, and just plain old tough times.

When asked what their goals were here on the campus member Irene Keyes responded, “I just want to make sure it continues growing and stays a vital part of the Rio Hondo Student Body” She continued by saying, “It’s important to me because I want to help people and in that process we help each other.”

On April 10, Active Minds will have a Hanger Area 51 (Lower Quad) where individuals will construct their paper airplane out of paper supplied by Active Minds.

Entrance fee will be 25 cents per Individuals and $1 for Clubs. The entrance fee will be waived if contestant wears outfit geared to Air Show theme, Flight Jacket, cap and goggles, flight overalls etc.

Clubs will name their plane as airlines and may construct their plane in advance. $10 gift cards will go to 4 first place winners. Individual: Longest distance & longest time in air. Club: Longest distance and longest time in air. Contestants will get a total of three attempts.