Westmont, Illinois
Date Issued: May 20, 2020
“Last summer, I traveled the world to promote proactive mental health strategies centered on HOPE,” said Nancy Bartosz, a teacher with CUSD201 for more than 20 years. “Members of the global communities came together to work on projects, many of which were collaborative artwork, which were prominently displayed where people from the community could easily see and enjoy the art and the message. It was such a positive experience that I’m hoping to bring this concept to Westmont.”
The goal of this initiative is to promote the importance of positive mental health and suicide awareness. The Village of Westmont and other local public agencies are partnering with Hope For The Day (HFTD), a local nonprofit focusing on mental health education and proactive prevention. HFTD promotes the slogan ‘It’s OK not to be OK’, and strives to connect people to mental health resources.
“We immediately recognized the importance of this topic and brainstormed to create the ‘Westmont Community Hope Collage’ project,” said Larry McIntyre, Westmont Communications Director, who will be coordinating the Village’s involvement. “Because of our current situation with COVID-19, we decided to make this a virtual project, so we’re inviting all of our residents and businesses to get involved and share their messages of hope. The timing for a project like this is perfect.”
One of the ways to participate is to create one letter in the word HOPE and then send it in to be combined with other submissions to create the HOPE collages. The finished collages will be published on the Village Website and social media. People can also participate by creating written messages of HOPE (poems, essays, etc), and/or choose other artistic mediums. Check out the HOPE collage example accompanying this press release. To sign up, please click on the link below.
Community Hope Collage Sign-up Form
Messages of Hope - Positive Mental Health Presentations
“We want to make sure that we are also providing resources for people who may be struggling at this time,” said Westmont First Committee Chair and Village Trustee Bruce Barker. “We are working with the Westmont Public Library and Hope For The Day to create opportunities for people to get involved and talk about positive mental health and suicide awareness.” Details for these programs will be announced soon.
Mental Health Resources
Hope For The Day help line, click this link and enter in your zip code and you’ll see a wide variety of resources, and by hovering over health and then selecting mental health, you’ll be able to sift through VETTED resources. Hope For The Day is not a hotline, community center or licensed mental health service provider. Hope For The Day aims to create positive mediums to allow those who are at-risk to access resources needed. If this is an emergency or you are worried about someone that might be at risk of suicide, call 911.
Crisis Text Hotline, Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime. Crisis Text Line is here for any crisis. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from our secure online platform. The volunteer Crisis Counselor will help you move from a hot moment to a cool moment.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
For more information regarding the Community Hope Collage project, contact us at communications@westmont.il.gov or 630-417-0280.
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Contact: Larry McIntyre
Village of Westmont
Communications Director/Public Information Officer
630-417-0280
lmcintyre@westmont.il.gov
