A TEENAGE Limerick girl’s dream to light up the city’s bridges with life-affirming messages to help people in despair became a reality this week.
Last December, 18-year-old Katie Whelan set up the ‘Lisa’s Light’ campaign, in memory of her cousin Lisa who died three years ago by suicide. Katie, a Leaving Cert student at Ard Scoil Mhuire, came up with the idea after having a dream about her cousin.
“In my dream, Lisa was just standing there at the bridge and she was contemplating jumping off but the whole bridge was lit up and she just stepped back and the dream ended there. I knew then I had to do something with it, that the dream came to me for a reason,” Katie explained.
Since then, Katie’s brainchild came to fruition and she has collected more than 5,000 signatures to a petition and reached over 6,000 likes on Facebook supporting her idea. She has met with council officials to get the green light and developed partnerships with agencies such as Limerick City Drug Education and Prevention Strategy (DEPS) who are supporting Katie to deliver the project safely by working with the HSE’s Suicide Information Office.
This Tuesday, all her hard work paid off as eight boxes shone like a beacon over Thomond Bridge following the launch of the project by Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Kevin Sheahan. The boxes were mounted on the existing light poles with vibrant pictures of Limerick and positive messages to promote positive mental health through simple ideas and messages gaining inspiration from the HSE’s Little Things Campaign.
“It has been a lot of hard work but I have been very lucky to have a company like Alphaset based on Bishops Street come forward and offer to design and build these eight boxes and fit them in partnership with Limerick City and County Council. They have provided work and materials costing thousands, free of charge. I cannot say enough about them,” said Katie.
Local drug education and prevention worker Daniel Butler of Limerick City DEPS described the project as a “peer-led model that will engage young people in a way an adult type organisations and campaigns cannot”.
“We really wanted to support Katie with this. Firstly, to ensure she was supported in what is an emotional journey for her and her family. Secondly, to ensure that we reduced her workload so she could concentrate on her studies as Katie has had pre-exams in amongst all this,” said Mr Butler.
“She is an incredible role model to her peers across the city and we hope that this campaign will reach young people across the city and get the conversation going about supporting yourself to have positive mental health,” he added.
