Youngsters send anti-suicide messages on coffee cup sleeves

Sometimes a simple message can make a difference. That was the idea behind a 4-H suicide prevention project in Calcasieu Parish that started with markers, coffee sleeves and a group of 4-H’ers hoping to spread encouragement.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and Kyle Dupre, a 4-H agent in Calcasieu Parish, was driving by The Buzz coffee shop in Lake Charles when he began thinking about connecting the month’s observance with his 4-H Junior Leaders service-learning projects.
“I couldn’t stop wondering what would happen if we combined a simple act of service with a message of hope,” Dupre said.
He reached out to the coffee shop owner and asked if the Junior Leaders could spend time writing messages on their coffee sleeves. He quickly received a yes.
Dupre picked up sleeves from the coffee shop and hosted the junior leaders at the Calcasieu Extension office. On the sleeves the students wrote, “The world needs you,” “Stay,” “You matter” and “Call or text 988.”
Dupre said some messages were simple, others were funny and some were deeply heartfelt.
“Every single one was written with the hope that it might brighten someone’s day,” he said.
Makenna Vidrine, a 4-H Junior Leader in 10th grade, participated in the project. She said she knows firsthand how teens struggle.
“I’ve never lost anyone to suicide, but I have friends who have gotten close,” Vidrine said.
She hoped this effort would remind people how much others care. She said it lifted her mood to participate. On a sleeve she wrote, “When life gives you lemons, make orange juice and leave the world wondering how you did it,” and included the suicide prevention hotline numbers. She said it was just something quirky to make people stop and remember it. She said it was also uplifting to read the notes her friends wrote on the sleeves.
The notes they wrote will go beyond the coffee shop, Vidrine said, and make it into offices and schools. She envisions the messages helping others who may see people walking around with the coffee and notice the sleeves.
Will every coffee sleeve change a life? Probably not, Dupre said, but he believes the project was worthwhile if even one message helps someone through a difficult day.
“That’s what service-learning is all about. It’s not just serving others. It’s learning that sometimes the smallest acts of kindness can have the biggest impact.
"I’m so proud of our Junior Leaders for embracing this project and so grateful to The Buzz for believing in the idea and helping make it happen.”
The Calcasieu Parish 4-H Junior Leaders can participate in monthly service-learning projects. In the past, the youth collected socks and blankets for local nursing homes and filled blessing boxes around town with canned goods and other supplies. These opportunities benefit schools and communities while helping members develop leadership and civic engagement skills. For more information about 4-H or to join, visit, https://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/kids_teens/get%20involved/about-4h/join. National 4-H Week is Oct. 4-10.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available.
Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline anytime, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.