A note of caution: This story contains mentions of suicide. Please take care when reading. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach a crisis counselor.
May is Mental Health Awareness month and to commemorate, a Bloomington nonprofit is bringing color and joy to a dark topic. PATH Crisis Center’s annual art competition generates original imagery designed to spread the news about a vital resource for those in crisis.
The six winners of this year’s Voices in Color contest will have their work auctioned on Saturday at a gala raising money for PATH., which operates a 988 suicide and crisis hotline for people in need of support. The event runs from 4-6 p.m. at the DoubleTree hotel in Bloomington.
Brittany Bauman has worked at PATH for about three years. Before her current role supporting the leadership team, she answered calls on the 988 suicide and crisis hotline. Bauman said PATH launched Voices in Color a year ago to put art people could relate to on 988 posters. She’s not aware of another initiative like it in Illinois.
“Most of the posters were just somebody who had a headset on,” she said. “And so we wanted to see more hope and resilience. We’ve learned that art is amazing and it can kind of bring out, sometimes, things that you can’t put into words."
Winning artist Madeline Lindke is a pastor’s wife and mom of two boys. She said art is something she leans on for selfcare.
“I paint watercolor, I draw—I try to avoid mediums that my kids can get into,” she said.
Lindke came across the Voices in Color art competition in a Facebook post on the Bloomington Police Department's page and thought she'd give it a try.
ISU Psychology major Emily Beltran, originally from Sandwich, Illinois, found out about Voices in Color at school. Her piece features a collection of little stamps; she called it Stamps of Hope.
“The stamps can represent even like small little things in life,” she said. “I have serotonin in there and dopamine [two hormones relating to mood] and then hearts and flowers.”
Beltran said she gets a lot of clinical information in her psychology education. She wants to specialize in industrial organizational psychology.
“It’s a newer field,” she said. “I really am interested in workplace harassment and gender disparities in the workplace—and helping marginalized communities feel like they have voices in the workplace.”
But Beltran said they don't always talk about the human side of the things they’re studying.
“I’m surrounded by these ideas of mental illness and the clinical and medical side of things,” she said. “But we don’t really talk too much about how this applies to students—and college students specifically. Especially in a time where things may seem more hectic.”
A conversation starter for kids
Bauman said incorporating children in the Voices in Color contest was especially important. The agency is currently seeking funding to support its PATH Pals curriculum, using puppets and storytelling to help children process their emotions.
Bauman said seeing art drawn by a kid can help other kids understand that 988 can be a resource for them, too. And kid-drawn posters can serve as a conversation starter for families and teachers.
“They talk about 911 in schools in kindergarten,” Bauman said, “But they don’t teach 988. 988 is brain emergencies and 911 is body emergencies. So it’s just as important to talk about that.”
Winning artist Cooper P. is a fifth grader in District 87 schools. His poster is called Slay the Depression. It's themed after the medieval times: knights, kings, dragons—that sort of thing.
“It shows a kind king, or a king hiring knights, or making his knights get rid of the depression using phones,” he said.
A depression dragon breaths clous of sadness, fought off by phones dialed to 988.
Cooper said his parent suggested working on a 988 poster after noticing the Voices in Color competition on social media.
“So when a depressed kid, or a kid struggling with anxiety, depression or bad thoughts, I thought that if they looked at my poster, they could realize that they’re not alone.”
All of the winning posters will be distributed throughout McLean County. Proceeds from printed versions auctioned for sale at Saturday’s gala are split 50/50 between the artists and PATH.
‘It’s OK to reach out’
Lindke used her self-portrait as the foundation for her winning piece, called Unmasking.
“I know of no one in my life who has been untouched by depression at some point,” she said, “including myself.
“I went through a bad bout of postpartum depression after I had my second child, and if it wasn’t for people like my nurse practitioner and my husband’s support—I don’t know if I’d still be here.”
Lindke is originally from Canada. Most of her family are a 17-hour drive northeast of Bloomington-Normal. She said the COVID-19 pandemic hit her hard.
“I couldn’t go visit my family because the borders were closed,” she said. “I had two children during COVID, and it was a struggle. I liked the idea of being able to give someone else a message that it’s OK to reach out.”
PATH used to operate 988 for the entire state of Illinois. That changed in 2024. They now answer calls for just nine counties during business hours. Bauman said things have stabilized since that bumpy patch forced them to pare down other services, including stepping away from regional leadership in homeless services and shuttering the agency's 211 call center.
She said PATH operates 24/7 statewide text-to-chat support, and emphasized that people can call 988 anytime, it just might not get picked up by a crisis counselor at PATH if it’s during off hours. Still, Bauman said the localized support PATH offers to callers can be beneficial. When a call pings off a McLean County cell tower, if PATH is open, someone in McLean County answers.
“Thinking back when I used to take calls, if somebody was talking about something and they’re in ISU, I know exactly the framework of what ISU looks like. I can talk about that,” she said. “I can talk about local resources without utilizing a database because I’m very confident in what’s around in our neighborhoods.”
Bauman said she expects 988 usage to keep increasing, but that doesn't necessarily mean more people are suicidal. She urged people in any type of crisis to lean on 988. She said the hotline gets calls from ISU students stressed during finals. From people having anxiety attacks. From unhoused folks in need of help accessing resources. And from people who just generally feel overwhelmed.
“The world can be scary,” she said. “I think we will see more calls and I hope that we just continue to help people wherever they’re at, whenever they call.”
Race for the sundae bar
Lindke and Beltran said they're looking forward to seeing their printed posters. Cooper P., who learned he’d won on his 10th birthday, said he is excited to sign autographs.
“I’m excited to see other people’s artwork and see how they can compare a fifth grader to a high schooler or, like, an adult,” he said.
The event is family-friendly, with a sundae bar, chocolate fountain and mac and cheese bites.
And although school's out for the summer, Beltran has convinced some of her ISU classmates to stick around and support PATH by attending the event.
“It’s just really nice to see everyone come together for something so meaningful that shows we’re all here together,” she said.
