The Sunset Project shines a light on the importance of mental health support

ALPENA COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Today I want to share a personal story with you.

Sawyer Boyd, a childhood friend of mine from my hometown of Alpena, took his own life on August 28, 2016.

So many lives changed that day, including those of his family and his many friends.

But free from Sawyer’s friends he turned that tragedy into a mission.

“Sawyer was an adventurous kid. Always laughing always making people laugh and very humorous,” said Amy Swinson, Sawyer’s mother.

“She was such a creative person,” said Maddy Boyd, Sawyer’s sister.

“He was incredibly kind, humble, personable,” said Gavin MacDonald, chief executive of The Sunset Project.

“Sawyer was such a crazy, creative kid,” said Nick Poli, The Sunset Project’s creative director.

“It was fun,” said Kevin O’Brien, program director for The Sunset Project.

Sawyer was happy.

Or at least that’s what many thought.

“You can be the tallest, you can be the smileiest, the funniest person in the room. You can still be fighting harder,” Boyd said.

“I didn’t know he was struggling. He would just put on the show like everything was fine. You know, laugh at it and then you’d think he’s doing fine,” Swinson said.

That’s the thing, it can be easy to fake a smile, but it can be hard to talk about what that smile hides.

“We want people who feel the way Sawyer felt to be able to express their emotions to others and get the help they need,” MacDonald said.

And that’s why three of Sawyer’s closest friends, Gavin MacDonald, Kevin O’Brien and Nick Poli, created The Sunset Project.

“The Sunset Project is intended to serve the betterment of Northeast Michigan through creative space and mental health programming,” O’Brien said.

In 2016, after learning of Sawyer’s death, an idea in a dorm room at Central Michigan University.

“We had no resources, no money, no knowledge of how to start this organization,” MacDonald said.

A little less than eight years later, that organization and its impact have grown into something much bigger.

“We’re about to spend $100,000 on programs this coming fiscal year,” Poli said.

The Sunset Project has three main programs.

“They come straight from Sawyer,” O’Brien said.

In honor of Sawyer’s creativity, the Sawyer J. Boyd Creatives’ Grand helps support young adults pursuing their creative passions.

“There are so many kids who love Sawyer, struggle with their mental health, and use his photography or drawing as an outlet,” Swinson said.

“We would buy an item for them that would help them further take their hobbies, interests, potential career to the next level,” O’Brien said.

From canvases to conversations, The Sunset Project also encourages students to open up about their own mental health through the Ending the Silence program.

“We’ve reached over 240 students with this program,” MacDonald said.

The Project Sunset team goes into schools and shares common symptoms and signs of mental health conditions.

“If a student gets help and uses our resources, we’ve done our job,” MacDonald said.

The Sunset Project team also shares their own mental health journeys.

“Just to put a face on all of this and let people know who might be struggling in silence, it’s normal to have some of these issues. You’re not broken because you’re sad all the time,” O Brien said.

Hundreds of students to receive the health message, but not the only ones affected by what has been said.

“I saw a lot of healing from my mom. I feel like it helped her address a lot of her own struggles and I think it brought her closer and me as well. So I think it’s been healing for us as well,” Boyd. said

“It put us in a position where we could be more comfortable having more complicated conversations and communicating on a different level with our core group. And I think that brought us together in a different way,” Poli said. .

Complicated conversations that aren’t always easy to have at any age.

“When you have a 13-, 14-, 15-, 16-year-old guy, the last thing you’re trying to talk about us with your kids is, ‘Hey man, how are you really doing today?’ So it’s always interesting to reflect and be like many, we could have had more conversations like that or maybe we should,” Poli said.

“Talking about these things is not easy. You know, maybe sometimes it can be a little uncomfortable, you know sometimes students might not be sure how to respond and that’s okay. It’s not easy to talk about. But we hope that fosters a culture of acceptance and normalizes that,” O’Brien said.

“To end this stigma around mental health. That you should talk about it,” Swinson said.

Sawyer is missed by many.

If you are between the ages of 16 and 23 and located in the Northeast Michigan region, you can apply for the Sawyer J. Boyd Creative Scholarship now through July 1st.

Those interested in applying can do so by clicking here.

If you have problems, we encourage you to talk to someone.

You can also text or call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.