Yellow Tulip Project raises awareness for mental illness
PORTLAND (WGME) — The Maine Department of Health and Human Services says suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people in Maine. One out of every five teenagers is suffering from mental illness or depression, and 16-year-old Julia Hansen wants to help her peers who are struggling.
Julia is a sophomore at the Waynflete School in Portland. Two of her close friends committed suicide this year. She, too, has struggled with depression.
Julia wanted to do something to bring happiness to people’s lives and raise awareness about mental illness. She recently started The Yellow Tulip Project.
She wants to plant yellow tulips at local schools and other places throughout the community. She will call them “hope gardens” and hopes the idea will spread across the state and nation.
The Yellow Tulip Project is just getting off the ground. Julia hopes to plant bulbs next fall so they will bloom by this time next year. In the meantime, she will be selling merchandise with her yellow tulip logo. All proceeds will benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
You can find more information by searching The Yellow Tulip Project on Facebook.
