GATESVILLE, N.C. — Gates County Community Partnership will host the first event in its new “Let’s Chat” series, Conversations that Matter: Youth & Mental Health, on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the “chat bench” outside the Gates County Community Center. The featured speaker will be Rondeshya Cosby, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, Founder and Clinical Director of Bright Shadows, and the conversation will be facilitated by Crystal Harden, EdD, CEO of ForWARD Education, LLC. In the event of rain, the gathering will relocate inside the Community Center. The event is free and open to the public.
The “Let’s Chat” initiative is a collaborative effort between Gates County Community Partnership, the Obici Healthcare Foundation, and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Created in response to the growing need for mental health support and stronger community cohesion, the initiative plans to introduce designated benches throughout the local area where individuals are encouraged to engage in open, meaningful conversations.
The chat bench serves as an accessible and inclusive space dedicated to improving mental health, fostering dialogue, and promoting understanding and harmony across the community. Organizers hope the bench becomes more than just a place to sit, but a symbol of connection.
“The Chat Bench represents more than metal and paint, it represents a safe space for hearts to open and voices to be heard,” said Benjamin C. Saunders, Jr., Vice President of Gates County Community Partnership. “Our vision is that this bench becomes a symbol of understanding, kindness, and love among all citizens of Gates County. We want it to be a reminder that no one must face life’s challenges alone, and that meaningful conversation can be the bridge that brings us together.”
A Platform for Connection
The primary purpose of the Chat Bench Initiative is simple yet profound: to provide a platform where community members can connect, communicate, and support one another. By encouraging spontaneous conversations in a welcoming environment, the benches aim to combat social isolation, a significant factor affecting mental health today.
With youth mental health as the focus of the inaugural conversation, organizers hope to create a safe and supportive environment for families, educators, and young people to explore the challenges facing today’s youth.
Featured Speaker: Rondeshya Cosby, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Rondeshya Cosby is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, entrepreneur, and community advocate with deep roots in Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Born in Syracuse, New York, she spent much of her childhood in Virginia Beach before moving to Gates County in 2000. She attended Gates County High School for her 9th through 11th grade years before relocating back to New York to complete high school.
In 2010, she returned to Gates County to establish permanent roots, purchasing her first home in 2012. She earned her Associate Degree in Nursing from the College of the Albemarle in 2013, later graduating at the top of her class from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2018. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing at Walden University in November 2020 and became board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in March 2021 after passing the ANCC certification exam.
Cosby worked as a registered nurse from 2015 to 2020 at Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital in both psychiatric and emergency departments and served in the emergency department at Sentara Albemarle and later at Riverside. From 2021 until January 2026, she practiced as a psychiatric nurse practitioner with Riverside, gaining extensive experience in outpatient and community-based mental health care.
In 2023, she founded Bright Shadows Telepsychiatry Services to provide virtual psychiatric support to underserved communities. In 2025, she expanded services with a physical location in Elizabeth City offering mental health and substance-use treatment for children, adolescents, and adults ages six and up.
Cosby also founded Bright Shadows Corporation, a nonprofit organization established in 2025 to focus on community partnerships, free and low-cost healthcare services, educational programming, support groups, and outreach initiatives. A key goal of the nonprofit is collaborating with Gates County Schools to expand access to mental health services for children and families.
Facilitator: Crystal Harden, EdD
Crystal Harden, EdD, is the CEO of ForWARD Education, LLC, a science education consulting company dedicated to protecting and promoting educational advancement for under-resourced and underserved communities. ForWARD Education provides quality education services and resources designed to empower students and educators in achieving academic success.
Harden’s leadership and passion for equity in education will guide the conversation, helping ensure that participants engage in thoughtful, productive dialogue centered on supporting youth mental health in Gates County.
A Community Invitation
Gates County Community Partnership invites residents of all ages to attend this inaugural “Let’s Chat” event. By gathering at the bench community members can take part in conversations that matter and help build a stronger, more connected Gates County.
As Saunders expressed, the dream is simple yet powerful: that the bench becomes a lasting symbol of understanding, kindness, and love and that through honest conversation, the community continues to grow closer together.