EAST LANSING, Mich — Okemos High School has been tackling the stigma surrounding mental health—one pair of socks at a time.
The "Sock Out Suicide" initiative, now in its eighth year, invites students to wear colorful socks as a way to open up conversations about mental health. What started as a single-school effort has grown to include all grade levels in the Okemos school district, East Lansing High School, and Michigan State University.
WATCH: #SockOutSuicide initiative expands to Okemos community, other schools
The initiative was started by Okemos High School teacher Rachel Freeman-Baldwin. Her husband died by suicide in 2017.
"I realized that I needed to teach my babies how to communicate, and I needed to give them kind of a positive avenue to take pain into something that is advocacy," Freeman-Baldwin said.
Freeman-Baldwin launched the program alongside a colleague.
"He was known for his wild, fun socks. And so she's like, 'how about Sock Out Suicide?'" Freeman-Baldwin said.
Senior Faith Crandell, who helped organize this year's event, says the initiative has made a real difference in how peers approach mental health at school.
"Some people might not know how to ask for help. And so having people that you see participating by wearing socks makes it an easy way for you to know who's someone you can reach out to," Crandell said.
Other student organizers say the program's reach continues to grow.
"It's becoming a more community event and not just a school event. We're reaching greater outreach and eventually we can hope to go further and possibly go global with it," Freya Nokken said.
Anyone who wants to participate can wear colorful or fun socks on Friday, May 15, and post a photo using the hashtag #SockOutSuicide. Organizers are also hosting a free fun run for mental health on Thursday at Playmakers in Okemos. You can register online here.
If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available 24/7 by dialing 988.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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