If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or live chat at 988lifeline.org. 

ONALASKA, Wis. — Over 900 people died by suicide in 2022 in Wisconsin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One Onalaska woman is hoping to change that statistic through a simple craft.

Kathleen Jensen is the creator and founder of The Little Heart Project. She started the project more than two years ago.

“The Little Heart Project is taking small, crocheted hearts with a note of encouragement attached that you just leave in public places for other people to find,” said Jensen.

She said it’s a random act of kindness with the goal of reducing mental health stigmas and preventing suicide.

Since Kathleen launched The Little Heart Project, she has no idea how many hearts have been made, but she said she’s crocheted about 10,000.

Each heart is tagged with a meaningful message for those who are hurting. The hearts are then distributed for people to find.

“A woman sends me a message, and she’s holding the heart in the palm of her hand. And she said, ‘I found this at Trader Joe’s in West Des Moines. And right after I found this, went into the bathroom and I miscarried my baby. And my baby was the exact same size as that heart,’” said Jensen.

It’s stories like that which motivate Jensen to make a difference, despite suffering from depression, anxiety, complex PTSD and suicidal thoughts.

“For eight years, I wanted to kill myself all day, every day,” said Jensen.“For eight years, I wanted to kill myself all day, every day,” said Jensen.

She said that changed when she picked up a crochet hook and found a purpose.

“I don’t want anybody watching this to think I have it all together, because I don’t,” she said.

Now, her project has attracted the attention of people across the state.

“There’s a pattern on our website. There’s a PDF of our tags. Just do it,” she said.

Jensen said it’s an easy hobby that can make a difference.

“That’s exactly it. That’s exactly what it is, because when we volunteer and help other people, we are also helping ourselves,” said Jensen.

It’s a simple, self-sustaining mission that she said she believes is saving lives.

Anyone can participate, from anywhere and spread messages of hope, strength and love. You can find the patterns, here and the tags, here, to get started.