A man has placed motivational signs around his neighborhood after some teenagers residing in the area committed suicide.
Colby Wallace wanted to do something after he heard that four teenagers living near him have taken their own lives.
Luckily, he happened to learn about the ‘Don’t Give Up Movement,’ which was launched by Amy Wolff, a mother from Newberg, Oregon, in 2017.
Wolff wanted to help decrease the suicide rate in her neighborhood so she began distributing motivational signs in the area.
Wallace, from Queen Anne, Seattle, liked the idea so he decided to replicate it.
The 42-year-old purchased 200 wristbands and 15 signs – all of which contained lifting messages – and started distributing them in the neighborhood.
“These were local high school students and no one was really talking about it,” Wallace told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“We placed signs across the street from my daughter’s school and an older woman told me, ‘Thank you so much because people my age really need to hear this.’
“I’ve learned that you never know who is struggling. Some people seem like they have it together but need to hear this.
“A woman told me she was in tears after dropping off her daughter at school because the sign made her feel heard.”
The signs soon became famous among the locals. Even the school Wallace’s daughters attend featured the signs in its newsletter, calling it the ‘You Matter’ campaign.
People across the town started offering help to Wallace in distributing the signs, which carry messages like ‘don’t give up’, ‘you’re worthy of love’, and ‘your mistakes do not define you.’
The community has even raised $900 to help him buy new supplies.
Wallace believes that the initiative will help distressed people by providing the motivation they need to stay away from suicide.
He also hopes that the campaign will get duplicated in other neighborhoods as well.
“I would love for someone to continue this work in other neighborhoods,” Wallace said. “Really, anyone can do this.”
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