On a cold winter night, Camille, Sarah, and Brynn entered the Schwan Concert Hall at Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) in Madison, Wisconsin, to pitch their Serve2Lead Project entitled “Clothed with Dignity” to a team of judges and a live audience. When they left, they did so with an award of $3,500 to help bring their project to fruition.
As a part of the “Clothed with Dignity” project, the team partnered with Unf;nished Apparel, a non-profit company whose mission it is to provide comfortable, safe clothing to low-risk patients receiving psychiatric care. With the funds, they were able to purchase over 100 crewneck sweatshirts to give out to patients seeking inpatient care at Rogers Behavioral Health in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Each sweatshirt is embroidered with an inspirational saying and delivered with a message of hope.
When asked why they chose Rogers for their project, Brynn explained,
“My team and I have all had firsthand experiences with Rogers and wanted to give back to a community who supported us.”
In connection with the project, the team also organized a campus wide mental health awareness night with information about how Rogers Behavioral Health impacts the community, giving students an opportunity for open and honest conversation about breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and the treatment process.
In April, the Clothed with Dignity project came to a close as the team arrived on campus carrying box after box filled with sweatshirts and inspirational notes for patients in need of warmth and kind words from others who know what they’re going through.
