Mental Health Kit Giveaway at Proviso East | September 2025

At Proviso East High School, we did a Mental Health Kit Giveaway! We were able to give away 139 Mental Health Kits to the Proviso East students. Our intention to give away the kits this month was in honor of Suicide Prevention Month. We plan to give 500 kits away this semester! Each kit includes items chosen with intention: calming tools, stickers, and our new custom journal. Students came up to us, showing interest and asking questions about the Mental Health Kits.

We are grateful to every student who received a kit. Thank you PEHS, for having us and giving us this opportunity.

Calm Room: Self Guided Coloring

In the Calm Room, we leaned into quiet creativity with a self-guided coloring session. The setup was simple but intentional: stacks of coloring books, vibrant colored pencils and markers, and a special set of coloring pages that read “I choose kindness.” Students were invited to settle in and go at their own pace with this coloring session. These self-guided sessions remind us that healing doesn’t always require direct guidance. Sometimes, students just need space to follow their own rhythm.

Volunteer Night

During Volunteer Night, Jessica, our Community Engagement Coordinator, prepared Mental Health Kits, and with the help of our amazing volunteers! We separated and packed the stickers and fidget game consoles that will also be included in each Mental Health Kit.

As we continue to prepare our Mental Health Kits for our next Volunteer Night, we would like others to know that these kits will be distributed in September in honor of Suicide Prevention Month. Our goal is to pass out 500 kits this semester!

Calm Room Makeover at Proviso East Pt.2

The Calm Room Space is now complete - and it’s everything we hoped it would be. A space where the students of Proviso East High School can step away and return to themselves.

The Calm Room is an alternative space to the lunch room. It allows for a less-stimulating environment. A place where students can connect, work on school, or spend some time relaxing before their next period. Jasmine, Creative Director, Mylene (Interior Designer), and Yekseny (Muralist) took this into mind while designing the space. After a little but more than a year, their work has finally come to fruition.

When first arriving at the space and seeing the empty walls, we couldn’t wait to start the transformation of the Calm Room. It was exciting when the first brushstroke of color went on the wall, and from then the transformation began! Even the choice of colors was intentionally chosen to evoke tranquility. Adding the last touches of decor really pulled it all together. There are multiple corners of the room with couches, desks, and comfy floor seating. The space is embellished with plants, patterns, paintings, and even games to bring in the purpose of an emotional reset. It is truly amazing to see everything come together.

We are grateful for our contributors; your vision and partnership made this possible. Our Creative Director, Jasmine Lopez, Interior Designer, Mylene Raspado, the muralist, Yekseny Guerrero, Proviso East High School, Loyola School-Based Health Center, and Transforming Communities Initiative. Everyone’s involvement in the Calm Room - we thank you. You didn’t just help with the transformation, but you made a safe space.

Calm Room Makeover at Proviso East Pt.1

The Calm Room is a space where the youth can take a moment for themselves, so we wanted to transform it so the students of Proviso East can come and take this space to reflect or take a break.

During the three days we spent as a team at the school, we were able to transform the Calm Room with new and comfy furniture and new colors painted all throughout the room. Yekseny, who painted the mural, filled the entire wall with the rich, beautiful colors of browns, blues, and greens, and with the detailed designs that are painted over an entire wall. Seats were placed by it, to admire and hopefully bring inspiration to the students who see it. The room was also filled with comfy seating throughout the space, as well as a corner with sofas and games. The Calm Room consists of vibrant colors of green and yellow all over, these colors bring a sense of calmness but also uplifting feelings.

Check out the images to see the process from the beginning and how each day was filled with new and exciting things that filled up this space. Thank you to our partners, Loyola University Chicago, Niehoff School of Nursing’s School-Based Health Center, Yekseny Guerrero (mural artist), and Mylene Rapasado (interior designer) for making this dream come true!