Northbrook group provides calming presents for Class of 2021

Cap, gown and ... sensory putty.

CATCH, the Northbrook organization that provides support, education and resources around mental health and wellness, distributed a "mental health coping kit" to every member of Glenbrook North's Class of 2021 when graduating students picked up their mortarboard and gown at the school on Monday.

That's more than 500 kits.

The team from CATCH - Community Action Together for Children's Health - included a note in the kits that said: "While we don't expect these items to fix things, we hope that something will resonate with you and become a useful tool as you write the next chapter in your story."

The coping kits, funded by area families, were developed by researching items to include and putting together samples for students and Glenbrook North staff to evaluate.

The finished products picked up by Spartans seniors on Monday included: mental health decal stickers, a handy "tips for teens" poster, a putty that can help restore calm when kneaded, an acupressure ring that releases tension, roll-on aromatherapy oil and a CATCH wallet card that includes support hotline numbers.

CATCH volunteer Donna Sabin led the effort that created the mental health coping kits.

"In addition to helping in the moment, we hope that these kits will bring the difficult topic of mental health out in the open," Sabin said. "We need to make illnesses like depression and anxiety as safe to talk about as cancer and diabetes. Only then can we end the stigma and save lives."

For more information on CATCH, send an email to catchiscommunity@gmail.com.