One in five children in Bexar County suffer from mental illness, and only 20 percent of children with a problem get the care they need.
Pinwheels for Hope planted 3,000 colored pinwheels at the Alamo Plaza to help put those numbers into perspective and effect change. Every fifth pinwheel is yellow to symbolize the child in need of support.
Bexar County mental health experts urge parents and caretakers to listen and watch for the warnings.
"Those one in five deserve treatment,” Rebecca Helterbrand with the Clarity Child Guidance Center said. “If they don't get treatment, a variety of societal ills occur, they drop out of school, they become addicted to drugs and alcohol they may become incarcerated, homeless or – worst of all – suicide is the third leading cause of death in our young people. We need to help kids when they're kids with their mental health issues."
For more information or to get help in Bexar County, head to 1in5minds.org.