Sidewalk Talk in downtown Kansas City brings attention to mental health
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In your life, do you feel heard? That's the question a nonprofit spent Monday afternoon asking people in downtown Kansas City.
The group called Sidewalk Talk launched in San Francisco 10 years ago. The event on Monday aimed to bring attention to mental health.
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Kansas City was the first stop on the nonprofit's tour.
Organizers set out some chairs and had trained listeners hear people talk about whatever they want. The impact of it all can't be put into words.
Therapist Traci Ruble has spent the last 10 years making mental health awareness a community project.
'I truly believe that we are responsible for one another's mental health by how we show up,' Ruble said.
So she founded Sidewalk Talk and created an army of trained listeners around the country to help people feel not alone in their personal battles.
'That's the miracle of this listening project, is that once someone has been listened to they come up with the solutions for their life its really amazing,' she added.
Ruble said the nonprofit that was born in San Francisco is now touring the entire country.
All it takes, a couple of lawn chairs, some friendly faces, and just like that, people who are strangers to one another show up and talk.
'They want to see somebody they can trust or they can talk to and listen and care,' Ahmad Alirani said.
Alirani said he pulled up a seat and had a conversation.
'It's too many people around here who don't have anyone to talk to,' he added.
That's what Ruble hopes to change. Something everyone can be a part of. She said they're not a mental health crisis intervention team, they're listeners.
—You Matter: Find mental health resources and stories on FOX4.If you are thinking of hurting or killing yourself: Call or text 988 or chat at . Please get help immediately.
If you want to support this project, Ruble said you take a . You can donate as much money as you want to take it. Their next stop is St. Louis.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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