DAYTON, Ohio — Four murals have been painted throughout the Dayton region to raise awareness about suicide and prevention.

One goal of the most recent and final mural is to touch the lives of a specific group in the community.

What You Need To Know

  • Four murals in Montgomery County are raising awareness about suicide and prevention

  • The final mural was painted in the Residence Park neighborhood in West Dayton

  • Suicide continues to be the number 2 cause of death for children ages 10 to 14 in Montgomery County and the 12th leading cause of death for adults

  • There will be a block party and mural dedication at noon on Saturday, Oct. 19

At 602 Elmhurst Rd. on Dayton’s West Side, there’s a new message of hope.

“I see beauty, I see color, one of the volunteers suggested we put that heart in the middle,” said Montgomery County ADAMHS Senior Program Coordinator Brittni Long.

Recently, Long has helped get four murals of prevention messaging into communities that have the highest suicide rates in Montgomery County.

Suicide continues to be the No. 2 cause of death for children ages 10 to 14 in Montgomery County and the 12th leading cause of death for adults.

This final mural in zip code 45417 called “You Can Be Both a Work in progress and a Masterpiece at the Same Time” is for the Residence Park community.

“Our young people are struggling. Youth mental health is a real challenge. Our young people have not had predictability over the last few years. We saw the numbers uptick after COVID. I know Dayton Children’s has built a behavioral health wing that is already at capacity,” Long said.

Long said there are many contributing factors for suicide rates.

Many communities struggle with cultural or socio-economic disadvantages, and some don’t have easy access to resources. 

“There’s no grocery store in this neighborhood. You have to walk blocks and as we were painting out here, we saw a number of people walking by with grocery bags and had to go miles to get some fresh food,” Long said.

This mural was painted by volunteers from the Montgomery County Prevention Coalition, Residence Park neighbors and local students.

“This mural really symbolizes how we can take different pieces of what may be considered scrap or kind of throwaway cloth and create something beautiful from it,” Long said.

Each mural also has a QR code with information for resources and ways to get connected in real time.

Long hopes these murals inspire people to seek treatment, to open up about mental health, and for others to step up and help.

“No matter what happens, if you’re having a bad day, a bad week, I hope that if you look at this, it brings you a little bit of joy and maybe puts a smile on your face,” said Long.

There will be a block party and mural dedication at noon on Saturday, Oct. 19.

The other murals can be found on North Main Street at Fairview, North Dixie Drive in Harrison Township, and on Keowee Street in downtown Dayton.