Eleven Hundred Backpacks Visit Downtown Chicago’s Daley Plaza

Powerful Display Represents Number of Students Lost Each Year to Suicide

On Thursday, April 29th, Active Minds, a national organization utilizing the student voice to promote mental health on college campuses across the U.S. and Canada, brings Send Silence Packing to Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago.  This innovative and impactful public education display of 1,100 donated backpacks, many with personal stories, represents the lives of 1,100 college students throughout the U.S. that are lost each year to suicide. 

Send Silence Packing helps shed a light on the tragedy of college student suicide, and initiates a dialogue about this heavily stigmatized topic.  From 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Active Minds will present the display, and will hand out literature on suicide prevention and mental health.  Daley Plaza is located at 50 West Washington between streets Randolph and Washington, Dearborn and Clark.  In case of inclement weather, the display will be presented on Friday, April 30th from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM in Grant Park, near Buckingham Fountain, between Columbus Drive and Michigan Ave and E. Jackson Blvd and E. Congress Pkwy.   

“Few people realize that suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses and is erasing the future of so many students,” said Executive Director of Active Minds, Alison Malmon.  “We are excited to have the opportunity to take Send Silence Packing to 10 cities this spring and to work with Active Minds at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as other chapters in the area, to bring the display to Chicago.  The display provides such a valuable opportunity to raise awareness, letting every student, parent, brother, sister, and friend know that if they are depressed or suicidal, they are not alone and that there is help.” 

Send Silence Packing was developed by Active Minds, Inc., the leading voice for college student mental health in the United States.  The national organization has collected, and continues to collect, backpacks and personal stories in memory of loved ones lost to suicide.  By displaying backpacks with personal stories that put a ‘face’ to the lives lost to suicide, Send Silence Packing carries the message that preventing suicide is not just about lowering statistics, but about saving the lives of students, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and friends across the nation.