Between 1999 to 2019 the rates of suicide amongst all ages have increased by a shocking 33%. While this statistic may seem incredibly alarming, it sadly only worsens when looking at the percentages amongst teenagers today. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the amount of suicide attempts for teenage girls at the beginning of 2021 was up 51.6%. This is not just a statistic, however. These numbers are real people with friends, families, and a wide array of people they could’ve never imagined impacting. 

On March 20 the Omaha community was personally affected by the tragic loss of Paige Roessner who went to Skutt Catholic High School. Paige affected the lives around her greatly, as she was an active church member and friend to senior, Julia Berglund, at Elkhorn South. 

About a month later, Berglund decided there was a way to shed even a hint of light in this devastating time with the loss of Paige. Berglund already runs her own small business through her Instagram, “shirtsbyjules” where she uses her Cricut machine to make the cutest shirts and sweatshirts of any design. Berglund had the incredible idea to use this small business for a bigger cause as she made butterfly sweatshirts to raise money for both Paige’s foundation scholarship and suicide prevention. 

Though this started out as a small task, social media used their magic and now Berglund has 150 sweatshirts waiting to be made. This evens out to be roughly $3,000 made for the foundations she hopes to donate to! These orders take quite some time as Berglund hand makes and packs each order. I witnessed these orders being made firsthand as a team of six of us made around 40 sweatshirts in the five hours we were there. 

Each sweatshirt comes with a “cont;ue” sign cutting through a butterfly on the front and a quote on the back. The semicolon symbolizes the continuation of one’s life into another chapter. Berglund also included the national suicide prevention number on the back of the sweatshirt. Sizes range from small to 3XL and come in a purple or blue color. Though she is down for a few weeks until orders are fulfilled, make sure to support when order forms come back out! Even if you can’t order a sweatshirt, you can show your support by making the world a place everyone feels safe to live in.