top of page
Search

The Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force has Collaborated With Artist John Schlimm and City of St. Marys to Create a “988” Digital Public Art Work on The City’s Downtown Community Calendar


–The Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force has collaborated with international

award-winning author and artist John Schlimm and the City of St. Marys to install a 30-second public artwork on St. Marys’ digital community calendar located on The Diamond to raise awareness for 988, which is the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. For the site-specific piece titled “988/END THE STIGMAS,” Schlimm and the Task Force worked with the City to design three screens that brightly and clearly emphasize both the hotline number and mental health awareness.


The “988/END THE STIGMAS” digital installation will be in rotation on the downtown community calendar from February 3 to March 3.




“The mission of the Cameron/Elk County Suicide Prevention Task Force is to reduce stigma and instill hope, start meaningful conversations while offering prevention, intervention, and postvention support,” said Jim Baumgratz, Board President for the Task Force. “We provide links and support to Cameron and Elk Counties with resources and training opportunities for all community members.” As of July 16, 2022, 988 became the new dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is now called the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This toll-free, three-digit dialing code immediately

connects individuals by phone call or text to a 24/7 national network of local and state crisis centers throughout the U.S. Trained counselors answer the calls and texts, assess callers for suicidal risk, provide support and counseling, and offer referrals to behavioral health and emergency services if necessary.


Inspired by the famed, issues-driven public art by the Guerrilla Girls collective and the iconic computeranimated “Spectacolor Billboard” images in Times Square created by pop artist Keith Haring and organized by the Public Art Fund in 1982, Schlimm conceptualized “988/END THE STIGMAS” as a vivid call-to-action awareness initiative for people of all ages in his community and those passing through. John’s first digital billboard was “THE SMILE 100 Billboard” that he created in 2024 in collaboration with the City of St. Marys and Boys & Girls Club of St. Marys to celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary.





“Like most families, mine on the Straub Brewery side has been impacted by five suicides across three different generations during the past century, in addition to many friends and colleagues who have also died by suicide,” said Schlimm, a fifth-generation member of the Straub family that locally dates back to the 1870s. He has been publicly open and vocal about his own lifelong journey with anxiety, and the role generational trauma has played. “As a mental health advocate, which is a role I take very seriously, I’ve tried my best to use my experiences and my platforms as a writer, artist, and educator to creatively and collaboratively spread awareness in fresh, unique, and multimedia ways.”


“This mission has recently led me to partnering with the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force to create the ‘988/END THE STIGMAS’ artist’s book, the ‘988/END THE STIGMAS’ digital billboard also in collaboration with the City of St. Marys, and ‘The 988 Coin’ in an edition of 30,000 powdered metal coins, which is the forthcoming, third project I’ve done as part of our St. Marys Area High School Dutch Manufacturing, John Schlimm, and Community Education Center creative collective,” Schlimm continued. “I was also honored and humbled to be invited to deliver the keynote at last year’s

Clearfield/Jefferson Suicide Prevention Walk, just as I have been profoundly impacted and learned so much from visiting with folks locally and across the country whose lives have been forever changed by suicide.




”The “988/END THE STIGMAS” digital billboard project was in the works for about a month before its debut. This involved Schlimm creating the concept and City of St. Marys staffer Emily Reed compilingall of the components, along with input and approval from City Manager Joe Fleming and the

Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force.“This isn’t an easy topic, but it is important to spread awareness to anyone who may be struggling that there is help available for people who need it. I believe that is the point that the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force and John Schlimm are trying to drive home,” said Reed. “988 is a quick and easy resource that is only a call or text away. Never feel ashamed of trying to better your mental health


.”In addition to the “988/END THE STIGMAS” digital billboard and artist’s book, and forthcoming “988 Coin,” the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force’s other current 988 awareness campaign projects include portable community banners.

Hundreds of free copies of the “988/END THE STIGMAS” artist’s book are being made available locally by generous grants and other funding from such sources as The Doris E. Stackpole Foundation, the American Legion Riders Post 103, the Emporium Foundation, and others. Dickinson Center, Inc.’s Signs of Suicide® (SOS) Prevention Program and the Elk County Commissioners are sponsoring the production of “The 988 Coins,” with plans to distribute them throughout Elk and Cameron Counties during April and May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. Schlimm, who is a member of Dickinson Center’s Board

of Directors, has donated his work and time to create


“The 988 Coin” and both the “988/END THE STIGMAS” digital billboard and artist’s book, which is also offered to the public on Amazon at-cost to make it as accessible and available as possible to everyone.


“The City is committed to supporting the mental health and well-being of our community members,” said Fleming. “The 988 hotline is a vital resource for those in crisis, providing immediate access to trained professionals who can offer support, guidance, and hope. We encourage everyone to understand that help is available through this number and reach out whenever needed—no one has to face their struggles alone. We would like to thank John and the Task Force for bringing awareness to our community.”


For more information about the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force, you can visit the group’s Facebook page—the one that currently has the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force logo profile at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558535093194.


If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, immediate and nonjudgmental help is available.


Please call or text 988.

25 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page