Stay involved and connect with us by signing up for our email newsletter!
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
February 24th - March 2nd 2025
White Pine Center for Healing is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded exclusively by donations and grants.
What is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW)?
EDAW is an annual campaign dedicated to bringing attention to eating disorders and their devastating impacts. Eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate out of all mental health issues, with one person dying every 52 minutes as a result, and yet they are still widely misunderstood.
This week is an opportunity to highlight the struggles those with eating disorders face, fight back against stigma, promote early intervention to encourage recovery, and honor the journeys of those who are in recovery.
Annual Bicentennial Tower Lighting
Every Step Matters, Every Story Inspires
Every year since 2023, White Pine Center for Healing has lit the Bicentennial Tower in blue and green lights in honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
The most effective way to fight back against rising cases of body image issues and eating disorders is through prevention programs and by raising awareness. This is because it increases early detection and intervention which supports recovery, reduces stigma, creates a dialogue to encourage people to seek help, leads to advocacy for resources and support that makes treatment more accessible, fosters a sense of community support, and more.
Why does this matter?
While eating disorders and body image issues are all too common, they are often suffered in seclusion, secrecy, and silence. Many people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities suffer from body dissatisfaction, and poor body image is a leading cause of eating disorders.
Diet culture has led us to believe that our appearance is the most valuable thing about us, and has normalized sacrificing our mental and physical health to achieve unrealistic standards.
EDAW is an opportunity to change the conversation around our bodies, understand that weight is not equal to health, celebrate body diversity, stand up to weight stigma, and shine a light on lived experiences.
At White Pine Center for Healing, we make the most of EDAW by shining a physical light of hope. Each year, we light the Bicentennial Tower in Erie, PA, as a beacon for awareness and healing. This year’s theme, Every Step Matters, Every Story Inspires, serves as a reminder that recovery stories and the individual healing journeys are worth celebrating.
We’d love to hear from you! Sharing your experiences can provide hope for others and serve as a reminder that they are not alone. Your story could be featured on our website to inspire those who are on their own path to healing.
Email us at info@whitepinecenter.org to learn more.
We want people to be seen and heard every day of the year, not just during EDAW. Every day we work toward creating a world where body diversity is appreciated and people don’t feel that their value is based on what they look like.
What we do:
-
Online Resource
-
Prevention Programming
-
Support Groups & Referrals
-
Advocacy
Our work is funded solely by donations and grants.
Take action this EDAW and show your support by making a donation today. Your donation supports our efforts to shine a light on eating disorders and body image issues, provide resources and support, and advocate for change.