HAVAS –

In partnership, Hope for the Day and Havas placed 121 mannequins in the Havas lobby to represent the 121 people who complete suicide in America every day.

We set out to change those statistics and just like the mannequins in the lobby were an inconvenience, suicide is an inconvenience that impacts our lives everyday.

For every $121 donated, we removed a mannequin. Or viewers could post a pic of the installation and post to Instagram with hashtag #121ToNone. We also removed a mannequin for every 121,000 impressions.

The Installation was a success with the public raising over $9,000 as well as being featured on multiple platforms including ABC7 Chicago. We hope to create more installation’s like this one in the future to continue to raise the visibility.

Out Of The Darkness –

One of the most important steps we can take to prevent suicide is showing up for our community and making sure our neighbors, friends, and family members know they are supported. On Saturday, September 22 Hope For The Day participated in the Out of the Darkness Chicagoland Walk to join the community in breaking the silence on mental health and raising the visibility of resources.

As the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) explains, Out of the Darkness Walks are held in hundred of cities across the country to give people the courage to open up about their own struggle of loss, and a platform to change our culture’s approach to mental health. This initiative is in alignment with Hope For The Day’s mission as we strive to use all platforms necessary to apply our outreach, education, and activism action plan.

HFTD ACTION PLAN:

1. Outreach: Raise the visibility of resources and information to break the silence of stigma

2. Education: Ensure individuals and communities are educated on mental health care, for themselves and others

3. Activism: Mobilize individuals and communities to foster proactive environments


A huge risk factor of suicide is the silence perpetuated by mental health stigma. When people assume it’s socially unacceptable to show their emotions or be open about their mental health challenges, they deny themselves the opportunity to get help and have no way to release the pressure created by internal and external experiences. We are here to tell you that It’s Ok Not To Be Ok. When we raise the visibility of resources and create environments where it is okay to talk about whatever we are going through, we are increasing the likelihood that individuals will recieve help before mental health crisis (i.e. reducing suicide rates).

By participating in the Out of the Darkness Walk, Hope For The Day contributes to AFSP’s investments in new research, educational programming, public policy reform, and loss survivor support. Because suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States this funding is essential. Fortunately, with so many communities realizing the importance of getting involved, AFSP has been able to set a goal to reduce the annual suicide rate 20% by 2025.

We are in this together and we can make this goal a reality. Stay proactive and have hope! If you or a loved one is dealing with a mental health challenge there are resources available to you. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text TALK to 741741. For a full list of upcoming Out of the Darkness Walks, click here.

Joel Frieders –

To kick off National Suicide Prevention Month, our very own Sydni Budelier wrote a feature story about Yorkville Alderman Joel Frieders.

Since last year, Yorkville Alderman and Hope For The Day Agent of Impact, Joel Frieders has relentlessly advocated for suicide prevention, exemplifying Hope For The Day’s core mission to be proactive and ignite the conversation on mental health in our communities. In his second term as a City Council member, Joel has chosen to use his platform within local government to raise the visibility of resources and break the silence of mental health stigma. When you visit the United City of Yorkville Illinois website, under Mayor Gary J. Golinski’s photo, you’ll find Joel rocking a “TALK ABOUT SUICIDE” T-shirt. […read more]