Agricultural Sciences

Community groups partner to create ‘988’ coins to support suicide prevention

Penn State Extension educator collaborates with high school program, artist, suicide task force, local businesses and others

A stack of "988 coins" is readied for distribution in Elk and Cameron counties. A coalition that includes a Penn State Extension educator will use the coin to promote the 988 hotline designed for those experiencing a mental health crisis. Credit: John Schlimm. All Rights Reserved.

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.”

Every design detail for “The 988 Coin” was meticulously brainstormed, discussed, edited, tweaked and finalized by the students, Schlimm and the Community Education Center over four months last fall. The design features two outstretched, caring hands supporting a brain that bears the message to call or text 988. The outline of the brain contains a semicolon, which in mental health circles represents a pause in life, not an end. The dot of the semicolon in “The 988 Coin” is the 11th mark in the outline of the brain, representing the current statistic that there is one suicide every 11 minutes in the United States.

Skills-based and student-led, Dutch Manufacturing is a high school program focused on preparing students for the expanding field of advanced manufacturing. The program is aimed at developing qualified individuals who will be successful in the manufacturing sector, in postsecondary education or in apprenticeship or internship programs. Dutch Manufacturing students have designed and manufactured several items for local businesses since the program started in 2022.

“It is always a true pleasure to collaborate with the Dutch Manufacturing program,” said Community Education Center Executive Director Kate Brock. “I am constantly impressed by the students’ creativity, productivity and approach to critical thinking.”

Dutch Manufacturing Coordinator Jesse Schreiber said “The 988 Coin” project has been another great partnership between Dutch Manufacturing, Schlimm, the Community Education Center and, this year, the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force.

“This project has allowed the students to really be involved in a service that is going to be beneficial for the people of Cameron and Elk counties,” he said. “A huge thank you to Gerg Tool & Die, Metco Industries and Ion Technologies for working with the students to make this 988 project a success.”

The Elk County Commissioners, via an Act 13 grant and Dickinson Center Inc.’s "Signs of Suicide" (SOS) prevention program, sponsored the production of “The 988 Coin.” Metco Industries manufactured the 30,000 coins, Gerg Tool & Die made the tools for the project, and Ion Technologies did the coating.

“Metco Industries was proud to be a part of ‘The 988 Coin’ project,” said Metco Industries Plant Manager Matt Liptak. “It was a great experience partnering with Dutch Manufacturing, John Schlimm, the Community Education Center, and the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force to support the 988 lifeline.”

The participating organizations are distributing the coins at schools, local businesses and other locations throughout the two counties. The project is the culmination of a three-part awareness initiative that also included the “988/End the Stigmas” artist’s book by Schlimm and a “988/End the Stigmas” digital billboard that was displayed on the digital community calendar on the diamond in the city of St. Marys.

In addition to its involvement in “The 988 Coin” project, Penn State Extension offers programs designed to promote mental health and provide individuals with the tools needed to help themselves and others handle stress, cope with emotions and navigate difficult times. To learn more, visit the Penn State Extension website.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, immediate and nonjudgmental help is available by calling or texting 988.

Last Updated May 1, 2025

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