CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Dozens of college students rowed and paddleboarded in the Ashley River on a mission to raise mental health awareness for young adults.
Hosted by the mental health nonprofit organization, Quest in Recovery, the annual month-long campaign encourages hundreds of young people to participate in rowing and paddleboarding for free to help free their minds.
After taking off from the Swain Boating Center, participants connected through shared recovery stories. Organization leaders say the goal of the event is to help break the stigma around mental health.
Luke Shirley is the executive director of Quest in Recovery and says the event provides an opportunity for everyone struggling with mental health issues, addiction or trauma to speak up.
“It’s also a chance to really get people together to do something hard, fun and challenging and to show support in a really fun way,” Shirley says. “It’s really kind of removing a lot of the stigma around recovery by sharing powerful stories.”
53,000 South Carolinians age 12 to 17 have depression and more than 2 million people in the Palmetto state live in a community that do not have enough mental health professionals, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness.
Liv Shrumbrey, the head of marketing for Quest in Recovery and says they help fill in that gap for college students in the area.
“We offer so many services,” Shrumbey says. “We offer counseling and we can help set up those connections to get people who need help, get that help.”
Shrumbey says she struggled with her mental health as a D1 athlete in college and eventually chose to step away. She then joined Quest in Recovery and says it changed her life.
“They were just this bright community for me that let me shine my light again and let me be who I am and not let anyone else diminish that and I’m forever grateful,” Shrumbey says.
Quest in Recovery has chapters all across the Lowcountry, including at the College of Charleston, the Citadel and the Military College of South Carolina.
Organization leaders hope that people who come out realize that recovery isn’t just one thing and it looks different for everybody.
“The river is a great metaphor like everyone’s on the same river,” Shirley said. “The current might be a little harder for some, the current might be a little easier for others.”
As part of the Row for Recovery campaign, Quest in Recovery is fundraising $15,000 to support their programming.
To learn more about Quest in Recovery and how to sign up for a future event, click here.
