Together, We Rise Stronger.
Resilience Rising: Community-Powered Mental Wellness
Resilience Rising is a new initiative of the Rio Grande Hospital Wellness Center—using creativity, storytelling, and connection to break down stigma and support mental wellness across the San Luis Valley.
About the Initiative
Rural communities face unique challenges when it comes to mental health. In the San Luis Valley, stigma, isolation, and lack of accessible care keep too many people from getting the support they need.
Resilience Rising is changing that. We’re creating new, community-driven pathways to healing through art, storytelling, peer support, and shared meals. Rooted in local voices and lived experience, this initiative brings mental health out into the open—where we can tackle it together.
Resilience Rising on the Creative Citizen: Unexpected Artist
Listen to the podcast
What We're Building
Core components
Rural Resilience Studio
Creative workshops and drop-in art/story sessions.
The Resilience Record
An oral history project capturing local mental health stories.
Peer Support Fellowship
Training community members with lived experience to support others.
Community Kitchen for the Mind
Shared meals with storytelling and conversation.
Rural Mind Lab
A civic innovation space for community-designed mental health projects.
Who It's For
Resilience Rising is for everyone in the San Luis Valley.
Maybe you’re feeling isolated on a long winter night, carrying stress from work or family, or just wishing for more connection. Maybe you’re a teen looking for a place to belong, a farmer balancing the ups and downs of the land, or a grandparent who loves to share stories.
Wherever you are in life, you are welcome here.
Through art, food, and conversation, we come together as neighbors to listen, share, and lift one another up. You don’t have to call it “mental health” to know that we all feel better when we’re supported by our community.
How To Get Involved
- Attend an Event: Check our calendar for upcoming dinners, workshops, and storytelling sessions.
- Become a Peer Fellow: Apply to join our training program.
- Share Your Story: Contribute to the Resilience Record oral history project.
- Spread the Word: Help reduce stigma by talking openly about mental health.