ViewFest to Break Records and Spark Hope at Detroit Zoo This Weekend

COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — On Sunday, July 14, advocates from dozens of Metro Detroit mental health and addiction organizations will participate in ViewFest, an annual event at the Detroit Zoo.

“It’s literally an event that you can attend and your mental health improves just by being there,” said Nikki O’Donnell, executive director of Words of Hope 4 Life.

The nonprofit organization behind ViewFest is a one-stop shop for anyone who needs help, O’Donnell says.

“It brings us together in a way that really, really changes the social view of mental health and the stigma around addiction,” O’Donnell said.

Honest, open conversations and countless resources all in one place are how O’Donnell believes we, as a society, make a difference.

“I think we come together and we have conversations, so it doesn’t seem weird anymore. These are the things that people who are struggling keep inside and we have generations of secret keepers and it makes us very sick. So I think things like that, having conversations, connecting with people, brings us out of that darkness and I think that’s when the light can shine and really, really change things,” she said.

This year, metro Detroit will be on the map to break the Guinness World Record for the number of people trained in Narcan, an overdose-reversal drug.

“Working with Guinness is exciting in and of itself, but I think having a situation where people can come in and be a part of the change… literally, we will leave this zoo that day with hundreds, thousands of people trained in Narcan. And even if it’s just one life saved, one opioid overdose that’s reversed as a result, we’ve done our job,” O’Donnell said.

Instead of sharing statistics, the organization will also use art to expose the impact of the opioid epidemic as people experience a space called “Expedition Hope.”

“It just represents hope, resilience, how many people are really impacted, that we are not alone and together we are a much more powerful force,” O’Donnell said.

It is an event that offers much more than a different vision.

“I want people to know that we’re all here together, and whether we call it mental health, wellness or addiction, whatever issue we’re dealing with, we’re all affected by it. And I think we’re all part of the solution,” O’Donnell said.

ViewFest kicks off Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Detroit Zoo.

Pre-registration for the first 3,500 participants is now closed. Admission is $10 per person.

A list of all activities scheduled for the event is available on the ViewFest website.