Alternatives’ Whitin Mill, 50 Douglas Road, Whitinsville, MA on April 23, 2022
ValleyCAST, the arts and culture arm of Open Sky Community Services, in collaboration with the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Success Network will be hosting a Yellow Tulip Gardens Hope Day Walk & Celebration on Saturday, April 23rd from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. This event is a celebration of resilience, joy, wellbeing, and community. The public is encouraged to participate.
The walk will begin at 10:00 AM at the Whitin Community Center, 60 Main Street, Whitinsville MA to view the first of two yellow tulip gardens planted by the Women’s Success Network, the local 4H Club, and Girls On The Run Worcester County. Next, participants will walk to the Whitinsville Town Common to see the second garden and then to the Alternatives’ Whitin Mill, 50 Douglas Road, Whitinsville, MA to view another hope garden. Over 1500 yellow tulips were planted in all.
At this last stop, there will be a Hope Day celebration featuring music by The Blackstone Valley Quartet, poetry, speeches, a guided meditation and wellness offerings. This Hope Day event is designed to bring people together to smash the stigma around mental health, and bring suicide prevention and mental health awareness to the community in anticipation of Mental Health Awareness Month in May. If it rains, the celebration will move indoors to the Singh Performance Center at the same location.
In collaboration with Yellow Tulip Project, ValleyCAST board members and staff, along with community members from the Whitin Community Center, Blackstone Heritage Corridor, and NOWA Peer Recovery Support Center, planted their first Yellow Tulip Hope Garden with 500 tulips at the Whitin Mill in the fall of 2020. This inspired the planting of yellow tulip gardens at the Whitin Community Center, The Rockdale Youth Center, Douglas Primary School, the Whitinsville Common and as far away as the Town Common in Southbridge, MA, where there is another Open Sky Community Services Hope Day Celebration happening on the same day.
“I’m pleased to see so many community groups coming together to spread awareness of these important issues that impact the lives of so many people, including individuals served by Open Sky,” said Open Sky President and CEO Ken Bates.
The Yellow Tulip Project is a youth driven, non-profit that is fiercely dedicated to suicide prevention, mental health stigma reduction, community building, and helping people know that there is help and hope out there. To learn more about the Yellow Tulip Project and Yellow Tulip Hope Gardens go to www.theyellowtulipproject.org
To learn more about ValleyCAST and/or Open Sky Community Services and their events and services please visit openskycs.org.
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About ValleyCAST: ValleyCAST’s mission is to foster a creative community in the Blackstone Valley that is inclusive and supportive of people with and without disabilities. ValleyCAST is the arts and culture arm of Open Sky Community Services.
About Open Sky Community Services: By blending best practices with the power of community, Open Sky provides individuals and families with the support they need to see beyond and live beyond perceived limitations to pursue fulfilling lives.
