“Art for the Heart” – How Father’s Club Dads Used a Poster Contest & Cupcakes to Crush the Stigma

By Dan Viall, Chapter Co-Chair at Blue Valley West for Father’s Club

Recently, the Blue Valley West Father’s Club partnered with our Counseling Team to host a first-ever Mental Health Awareness Poster Contest. The students absolutely showed up with creativity, compassion, and powerful messages of support for their peers! Our Father’s Club Leadership Team picked the Top 5 winners and we then rolled them out via a daily social media campaign.

We invited the entire advisory class from each of the winning artists to a special event after lunch for some gourmet cupcakes and mental health awareness wristbands compliments of Father’s Club.

All we did as a chapter was brainstorm with the Counseling Team, provide the supplies, support the social media campaign (which generated thousands of views from students) and then showed up with food and some fist bumps.

“The Blue Valley West Counseling Department loved partnering with Father’s Club on the Mental Health Awareness Poster Contest! Our students really leaned in, putting their creativity and energy into crafting positive messages that inspire and uplift our community. We are so grateful to the BVW Father’s Club for championing mental wellness and helping to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health!” – Theresa Middleton, Blue Valley West Counselor

As dads, we know that life’s challenges can sometimes be difficult… for you and your kids. Whether you or someone you care about is facing some mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is there to help. You are not alone!