Leech Lake Healing Walk Aims to Help Community Members Heal Together

Maintaining positive mental health and a sense of well-being can be an incredibly important thing for the average individual.

But sometimes it can be hard to come to grips with, or to heal from negative experiences. That’s why events like Wednesday’s Leech Lake Community Healing Walk, held in Cass Lake, can be important sources of help.

“I started it for the community, as we were going through some difficult, tough times,” said Community Healing Walk creator Karen Anoka.

When it initially began in 2015, the Leech Lake Community Healing Events were annual, but now that the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, the plan is to make the event quarterly.

The ultimate goal is to bring community members together in order to get through whatever hardships they may be facing, one step at a time.

“It’s a really uplifting feeling to know that the community itself and the members feel that they are a part of the community coming together,” explained Anoka. “Being able to be amongst each other and talk and visit is the most, I think, positive thing that I like to see.”

With Community Healing events now being held quarterly, the next event is going to be a feast taking place some time in January.