University News

UCC Presents Send Silence Packing Sept. 29

September 26, 2022

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MACOMB, IL – The month of September is recognized as Suicide Prevention Month, and as part of the annual awareness campaign, the Western Illinois University Counseling Center (UCC) will host Send Silence Packing Thursday, Sept. 29.

Send Silence Packing, which is an award-winning traveling display hosted by Active Minds, will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the lawn between Seal and Tillman halls on the Macomb campus (rain location: Union Grand Ballroom). The all-day display, which WIU obtained an Active Minds grant to bring this program to campus, is designed to inspire action for suicide prevention and connect people to mental health resources.

Active Minds was founded in 2003 by Alison Malmon, then a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, after losing her only sibling, her 22-year-old brother, Brian, to suicide. Send Silence Packing was first unveiled in 2008 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., with a keynote speech by Patrick Kennedy, who has been a champion and advocate for mental health.

"Our priority, in addition to helping WIU students who need mental health care, is to increase student awareness of the mental health resources available. We work tirelessly to reduce the stigma and misconceptions around mental health and suicide prevention, and to empower students to recognize signs within themselves and others. We are here for every student, and to share with them that it's okay not to be okay and to seek help,"said UCC Counselor Marsha Dace.

For more information, contact the UCC at (309) 298-2453.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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