04/20/2026
🎉 We’re celebrating something special at the library! 🎉
We are proud to share that we have officially graduated our first class of Friendship Bench Initiative Listeners! 💚 Each participant completed 10 hours of training led by Kenya L. Walker, MS, NCC, LPC, BC-TMH, equipping them with the skills to listen with empathy, support others, and help guide meaningful conversations in our community.
So… what is the Friendship Bench? The Friendship Bench Initiative began in Zimbabwe as a simple but powerful idea: create safe, welcoming spaces where people can sit, talk, and be heard. Originally launched in 2006, trained community members provided talk therapy on benches in local communities, helping people navigate challenges like anxiety, depression, and everyday stress through connection and conversation.
This model has grown into a global movement focused on breaking down barriers to mental health support by making it accessible, community-based, and rooted in human connection. And now, that work continues right here in our community.
Our newly trained listeners are part of that mission — offering a listening ear, fostering connection, and helping create a space where no one has to carry things alone.
💬 Because sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer is simply to listen.
