From Grief To Action - 5 Year Anniversary
5 years ago today I launched a petition that changed everything - from my own life trajectory, for my community of peers, for my school district, for our state of Colorado. This painting is a visual of all of the friends we'd lost to suicide and other reasons, with the sunflower symbolizing our community's collective grief and ability to be resilient in times of deep suffering. I began drafting and painting a mere 2 weeks after one of my closest friends, Ryanne, took her own life. I literally couldn't crawl out of my own pit of despair and suicidal ideation - this was the 9th person we'd lost.
At her private memorial, I heard a mom of one of the other students who'd taken his own life stand up and say, "we're not going to let this keep happening. We need to do something NOW. No more. You, the students, have the lived experience and ideas, we have the resources. Please reach out." I remember having the deepest gut feeling hearing her say that - I immediately knew I needed to reach out. Maria Bales drafted the petition with me - but I had NO clue what this would actually lead to.
It blew up. Everyone I've ever met (and thousands of people I've never met) shared this petition and signed it- the world rallied around me in this moment. 14k signatures in 2 days. I started working with Jon Widmier immediately at the school district I'd attended- a person who embodied empathy, and empowered my own agency as a 19 year old to ideate new programs and solutions to this crisis.
This sole event was the reason NoSo sprouted, and the moment I dedicated the rest of my life to suicide prevention and youth mental health. Maria invited me to paint a mural designed by Ryanne in our community alongside an amazing muralist, AJ Davis, as a place of solace and remembrance of what we'd endured. Ry and I spent many hours painting together - art was our way of getting lost in a coping mechanism when nothing else felt right in the world. She was beyond an inspiration to me.
This timing synchronistically coincides with a HUGE NEWS- a report that came out two days ago said: Colorado's suicide rate is at the lowest point it's been in two decades, attributed to multifaceted programming and leaders that sprouted from our all-time high suicide rate in 2020. I'd like to think that I played some minuscule part in that, and KNOW that all the fearless leaders I've met along the way absolutely have; with blood, sweat, and tears.
As a 'leader', I could not exist to do this work without the many community members and extraordinary adult allies that heard me, heard our experiences, and used every ounce of their power to let me step into my life's calling.
Today I will remember everyone I lost, my community for rallying around me, and the other leaders who would not settle for continuing to lose young lives.
Read petition here: https://chng.it/gJdnKDzqTt
To purchase some of Ry's incredible art, visit the beautiful Reese Hopp's Empathy Apparel on IG/Etsy.
