Greenwich Together invites the community to the first annual Hope Day, on Sunday, April 23. Hope Day is a free, all-age event to celebrate the blossoming of the Hope Gardens planted throughout the town last October by a network of volunteers working to promote youth mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
The event will offer enrichment activities including community art projects, yoga classes, live music and dance performances, food and refreshments, and community resource information tables. Festivities will take place from 1:00 to 4:00pm at the Arch Street Teen Center, located at 100 Arch Street. Tamara Houston will moderate a special mental health and sports panel at 2:30pm, featuring local coaches Aaron Montgomery, Martha Brousseau, and Anthony Morello.
Yellow Tulip Project, a determined youth-driven movement, was founded by high school student Julia Hansen after struggling alone with depression and losing two of her classmates to suicide. The organization’s signature yellow tulips represent hope and serve as a reminder to those who may be struggling that they are not alone. Yellow Tulip Project’s mission is to smash the stigma surrounding mental illness and to build a community of people who realize that hope happens when youth and community leaders work together.
Two YTP ambassadors Bridget Carriello (GHS class of 2024) and Emily Sedgwick (Sacred Heart Greenwich class of 2024) brought the organization to Greenwich and networked with local organizations to rally support. Yellow Tulip Project coordinated with multiple local groups on the planting project and the planning of Greenwich Hope Day.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Yellow Tulip Project to bring this annual Spring celebration to Greenwich,” said Corina Restrepo, LMSW (she/her/hers) Assistant Director of Outreach & Prevention and Prevention Coordinator, DFC Grant, Greenwich Together. “Volunteers of all ages helped us plant these bulbs in the Fall and we’re excited for the community to enjoy the blooming Hope Gardens. Mental health is a vital issue that affects us all, and Greenwich Together is committed to promoting mental wellness, suicide prevention, substance misuse prevention and education, and open dialog within our community.”
More information on the Yellow Tulip Project is available on their website: theyellowtulipproject.org.
For more information on Greenwich Together or Kids In Crisis, please visit greenwichtogether.org or kidsincrisis.org. You may also contact Corina Restrepo, LMSW, Assistant Director of Outreach & Prevention Services Prevention Coordinator, DFC Grant, Greenwich Together at crestrepo@kidsincrisis.org.
This article originally appeared in Greenwich Sentinel.
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