Madison is “INTOyellow” to celebrate Optimism and Resilience in Honor of Mental Health Awareness Month
Madison High School students, Girl Scouts, senior citizens, interfaith organizations and the Madison, NJ community at large are turning their Optimism into Action by participating in “Pollination” – the collaborative public art project with artist and Optimist, G. Riley Johndonnell (a/k/a Uncle Riley), where they will be creating a community garden of 100 flowers hand painted on 10-inch round yellow disks (materials donated by Jaeger Lumber and Ricciardi Brothers of Morristown). On the back, they will be writing their ideas for how to brighten Madison. These optimistic ideas will be shared with the mayor’s office as the garden “pollinates” the front lawn of the Hartley Dodge Memorial Building, on May Day.
This public art project is part of a larger, town-wide initiative, “Madison INTOyellow” – which will be taking place May 4 through May 11, 2019. Madison INTOyellow is an annual, week-long series of arts, educational and social events that support and celebrate local community mental health resources in honor of NationalMental Health Month (May). All events are programmed with the shared intention to shine a light on the stigma of mental health and inspire community connection through collaboration and creativity.
This is the third straight year that Madison will be publicly honoring National Mental Health Month, after setting the precedent in 2017 as the first US town to recognize and celebrate the United Nation’s global holiday ‘International Day of Happiness’ (designated as March 20th) and proclaim May as Mental Health month.
Other free events planned for the week include daily ‘mindful movement’ classes, a “People’s Picnic” offering community members a chance to connect and converse over a free meal provided by Healthy Italia, who will be sponsoring the event, and a speaker series, featuring a number of different mental health-related topics, including a NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) “In Our Own Voice” presentation, which will provide a personal perspective on mental health conditions, as leaders with lived experience talk openly about what it’s like to have a mental health condition. The Madison High School National Art Honor Society will also be collaborating with local businesses and organizations around town to paint their windows with #INTOyellow in an effort to raise awareness of the cause.
‘INT-O Yellow’ (a/k/a ‘International Optimism Yellow’) is a ‘Color with a Cause,’ developed in collaboration with Pantone Color Institute, conceptual artist Uncle Riley and UMEWE (pronounced ‘you-me-we’) as a platform for creatives to explore and share Optimism with others.
Visit intoyellow.com for more information and a calendar of events happening in Madison May 4 thru May 11, 2019.
“As a stigma-free town, Madison is dedicated to raising awareness of the local mental health and recovery resources available so that no resident needs to feel hopeless or alone. Madison INTOyellow is a great example of how we are putting our commitment into action and creating an environment where affected community members and those seeking to remain healthy feel supported in their efforts to achieve wellness. Madison has so many great resources and it’s exciting to see the entire town come together to celebrate such a great cause.” – Robert H. Conley, Mayor, Borough of Madison NJ
“Madison, like so many other towns, has been impacted greatly by mental health-related issues. It is programs like Madison INTOyellow that help us unite as a community – from teachers and students to senior citizens and religious organizations – to shed light on the stigma of mental health and celebrate the resources we have to combat it. I am proud of our students for stepping up and helping to become a part of the solution.” – Mr. Greg Robertson, MHS Principal
“Collaboration, with the shared intention of creating a brighter world, is at the core of all that UMEWE does, and the town of Madison has been an incredible partner in piloting this great initiative. The passion and collaborative spirit of this town is infectious and I’m hopeful that our joint efforts will help brighten the lives of community members here in Madison and beyond!” – Whitny Sobala, Madison INTOyellow Community Lead and Co-Founder, UMEWE.
Submitted by Whitny Sobala, Co-Founder, UMEWE
