David and Jacki James lost their son Peyton to suicide in 2014. He was only 13.
The following year, Jill Kubin and Sue Harris reached out with the idea of the Peyton Heart Project to raise awareness and help prevent suicide.
The organization spreads its message through small, colorful knitted hearts. The hearts are placed in public places around the world for people to find during their everyday lives. The delicate hearts are made by hand and each one represents the heart of a life lost to suicide. Attached to each is an inspirational quote and information about how to share on social media.
David lives in Dripping Springs and recently received the Lifesaver of the Year award from the Southeast Texas Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. DSCL spoke with him about the project and what’s next.
What is the mission of the Peyton Heart project?
Our organization’s mission is to raise global awareness about suicide and bullying and to help end the stigma surrounding mental health issues. On a personal level, for me, it is so no parent ever has to go through the living hell of losing a child.
I didn’t want Peyton’s death to be in vain. As an educator (30 years in the classroom and now retired), I knew knowledge and education would be the key to raising awareness. This is a way for me to use Peyton’s story to help others.
How can the local community help?
Anyone in the community can crochet, knit or create hearts, and we can always use more. We constantly have people requesting hearts from us so that they can raise awareness in their communities.
In addition, I do presentations for both adults and students where I use Peyton’s story to help them better understand the warning signs of suicide, mental health issues, and other relevant information.
What’s next?
I would love to continue to grow the Peyton Heart Project and use our message to save as many people as I can.
ThePeytonHeartProject.org