BALTIMORE -- CIAA Tournament week in Baltimore is about more than basketball. There are resources and events within the community.

CIAA Tournament's Health and Mental Wellness Summit, a free event to address health disparities, mental health wellness, cooking healthy meals and keeping fit through Zumba, was held on Thursday at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

"Even though CIAA is a basketball tournament and an amazing tournament, we wanted to make sure there are other things that are happening, to include the community," said CIAA event producer Sonjie DeCaires.

DeCaires hopes this event will expose visitors to community resources that will better their well-being. Thursday's event featured a panel of mental health advocates.

"Go to the doctor," DeCaires said. "If something's wrong with you, advocate for yourself. Don't let them send you home because you never know what may be wrong. That's what a lot of experts are saying on the panel. We have to be proactive in our community to make sure we're ahead of the curve."

CIAA organizers will host a Tech Summit at the Rita Rossi Caldwell Center from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28.

There will be a Financial Summit, presented by Bank of America, focused on financial literacy at the Rita Rossi Caldwell Center from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1.

The week-long events are a collaboration between organizers and Visit Baltimore.

Spreading awareness

Tamika Felder shared her story of finding out she had cervical cancer at 25 years old, and she had to endure a "radical hysterectomy."

"When you're young, you don't think about getting cancer," said Felder, a cancer survivor.

Felder made it her mission to spread awareness at Thursday's Health and Mental Wellness Summit.

"Having this event, in this space, during Black History Month, is the chef's kiss," Felder said. "We know more than ever. If we do not talk about health and equities, that health gap will grow bigger."