Dear Community,

Thank you for celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month with our (E)motion picture event. We were able to connect with nearly 40 Acadiana residents and use film as a catalyst for conversation.

Families attending were treated to a red carpet experience with an abundance of Hollywood glamour. We rolled out the red carpet, popped the popcorn and settled in for an enjoyable viewing of the 90’s classic Homeward Bound. Following the movie, 5 qualified mental health professionals dedicated and donated time to leading family conversations about emotions experienced during the film and modeled how to process these feelings through conversation. These professionals donated nearly $600 worth of services through their time facilitating family discussions at the event.

Families completing the post event survey unanimously expressed that they would participate in another (E)motion picture event were one offered. Respondents noted how impressed they were with how the event sparked conversation for their families.

We are so grateful to 24 Hour Citizen Project for their generous funding of the project and to Children’s Museum of Acadiana for serving as our host site for the event. Thank you to all who attended, volunteered, and cheered us on along the way. We have loved serving Acadiana in this way and can’t wait to see you all again at the movies.

Since winning funding for a family mental health movie night in November, Team Reel Connections has been hard at work planning our event! We are pleased to share that we will be celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month by hosting the first of our (E)motion Picture Events on May 31, 2025! We have found a great partner in the Children’s Museum of Acadiana and they will serve as host location for the movie night.

At the event on May 31st, we will watch Homeward Bound – a classic tale of animal friends taking on a big adventure and overcoming great obstacles. We will follow the movie with a short discussion facilitated by mental health professionals to discuss themes like perseverance, friendship, and loyalty seen in the film. The goal of this discussion is to help families practice sharing openly about topics they may not be used to discussing and to provide strategies for engaging in “tough” conversations at home.

We are so grateful to the 24 Hour Citizen Project for providing us the resources to bring this event to Acadiana and all the many volunteers who are working tirelessly to bring it to life. Community, we want to see you at the FREE family movie night on Saturday, May 31st. Please reserve your tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/emotion-picture-events-family-movie-discussion-tickets-1312396145199?aff=oddtdtcreator so we can keep the popcorn warm for you!

See you at the movies!