ELK AND CAMERON COUNTIES, Pa. — A coalition of community groups in Elk and Cameron counties, including Penn State Extension, has banded together to create a token that they hope will help promote mental health awareness and prevent suicides in the two northcentral Pennsylvania counties.
The coalition partnered to produce 30,000 powdered metal coins engraved with the number "988" — a national suicide and crisis lifeline designed to help those experiencing a severe mental health challenge. Launched in April, “The 988 Coin” is being distributed across Elk and Cameron counties to raise awareness of the national hotline number and to observe 2025 Mental Health Awareness Month in May.
The initiative is a collaboration among students in St. Marys Area High School’s Dutch Manufacturing program; the Community Education Center of Elk and Cameron Counties; international award-winning author, artist, advocate and educator John Schlimm; the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force; Penn State Extension Educator Chi Catalone; and local companies Gerg Tool & Die Inc., Metco Industries Inc. and Ion Technologies.
Catalone noted that Penn State Extension, as part of its land-grant mission, is committed to serving the well-being of all Pennsylvanians, including those in underserved rural areas of the state. She added that the “988 Coin” project brings together education, mental health advocacy and community engagement in an innovative and creative way to help save lives and foster hope across Elk and Cameron counties.
“It has been so rewarding to spend time in the Dutch Manufacturing classroom, experience the thoughtful brainstorming and discussions about the design and mission of this project with the students, John Schlimm and the Community Education Center, and then to see the final design that the students created,” said Catalone, who also serves on the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force. “The students’ enormous empathy and pride that they poured into this project and its final design is inspirational.”
The Cameron/Elk County Suicide Prevention Task Force was founded a few years ago by local citizens who recognized the need for more awareness and programming about suicide prevention in the rural areas and small towns of Elk and Cameron counties.
“The mission of the task force is to reduce stigma, instill hope and start meaningful conversations while offering prevention, intervention and postvention support,” said Jim Baumgratz, task force board president. “We provide links and support to Cameron and Elk counties with resources and training opportunities for all community members.”
Last summer, on behalf of the task force, Catalone reached out to the creative collective of Dutch Manufacturing students, Schlimm and the Community Education Center about collaborating on a unique initiative to raise awareness about 988 throughout the region. The collective immediately proposed “The 988 Coin” project, which the groups have been working on together since September 2024.
“Working on ‘The 988 Coin’ and other projects with the Dutch Manufacturing students is a career dream-come-true for me,” Schlimm said, adding that he greatly admires the students — as members of "Generation Z" — for inspiring his mental health advocacy work because of what he called that generation’s openness and courage in sharing their journeys. His own family has been affected by five suicides across three generations during the past century, in addition to the loss of friends, students, colleagues and one of his mentors — country music superstar Naomi Judd, for whom Schlimm was a publicist in Nashville during the 1990s.
“While conceptualizing and designing every single detail of ‘The 988 Coin’ with the students and the Community Education Center — and sharing why the mission behind this project is important to us personally and to our local communities — I was continually reminded that with these young people in the world the future is so very, very bright,” he said.
The process of creating “The 988 Coin” has been a tremendous experience for the Dutch Manufacturing students, according to Schlimm, who pointed out that Gen Z has among the highest rates of suicide and other mental health issues of any generation in history.
Tralynn Ginther, St. Marys Area High School senior and Dutch Manufacturing president, agreed, saying the “988 Coin” partnership grew into a truly significant and rewarding endeavor.
“It has been an incredible experience and opportunity for different generations to unite creatively, highlighting each person’s unique talents and abilities,” he said. “I’m eager to see what the future holds, not just for ‘The 988 Coin,’ but for everyone involved and impacted by it.”