WHITINSVILLE – At its first in-person event in more than a year, ValleyCAST brought together inspirational music, insightful and impactful speeches and a beautiful flower garden to spread seeds and messages of hope to commemorate the start of Mental Health Awareness Month. In collaboration with the Yellow Tulip Project, ValleyCAST’s first-ever Hope Day was held May 1 outdoors at the Dennis H. Rice Community Plaza at Alternatives’ Whitin Mill, as a way to bring conversations about mental health to the forefront. “It’s so important we don’t treat it as something you can’t talk about,” said Heather Elster, executive director of the Whitin Community Center, which participated in the event, along with No One Walks Alone Peer Recovery Center and ValleyCAST.