A brainchild of the coalition’s Mental Health workgroup, there have been 200 signs printed for distribution in the area with positive messages to encourage people seeing them.
The four messages are:
• Hang in There…Be Brave!
• Bring Apart…Together!
• Kindness is Contagious!
• This Too Shall Pass…Be Brave!
The signs were provided with grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and addiction Services.
“We are now in the process of getting them out into the Talawanda District, which is our service area,” said Amy Macechko, one of the coordinators of the coalition. “From start to finish, it was done in a couple weeks. As soon as the signs came in, we started getting them out to the community. We need to express hope and a sense of community, now more than ever.”
Distribution began May 20 when Macechko and several others were at Talawanda Middle School and invited coalition members to stop by and take them for their yards and to hand out to others.
The planned next step was to contact all of the Plant the Promise members to see about placing these signs at each of the locations where tulips have been planted and those signs placed. She said she hoped to have them put up at local business locations and even the Miami University campus.
The signs were a visible effort to publicize the updating of the coalition’s online resource guide for local mental health providers who are operating with telehealth options.
The signs have a QR code on them people can scan in their Smartphones to bring up that resource guide.
The guide can be found on the coalition’s web site, healthyoxfordarea.org. There is a “COVID-19 Resources” button to click on the main page of the site.
The sign idea was brought up at a meeting of the mental health workgroup several weeks ago and was enthusiastically received by the members and Youth Action Team members taking part in the virtual meeting.
“A member brought up the idea which had been shared through a community member. They found significant anxiety in the community and wanted to give the message we are not alone and to give hope in this day of uncertain difficulty. The whole group rallied behind something the community needs to add hope and make sure people have access to the resources they need,” Macechko said. “They were brainstorming ideas (for the signs) and had 20 to 25 ideas. We wanted easy-to-read signs people could read as they drive by, but with big concepts. Members of the Youth Action Team wanted to integrate (the word) Brave for a Talawanda perspective. I’m grateful they shared that for messages that relate to all ages.”
While coalition members are handling the distribution of the signs, Macechko said anyone wanting one can contact a member of the coalition to obtain one and to not delay.
“If you want one, reach out. I don’t want them sitting in my car. I want them to get out into the community,” she said. “I want to fast-track it and get the message out as quickly as possible.”
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