UNA Student Counseling Services Partners with Active Minds to Send Silence Packing

Mar. 26, 2025

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – Student Counseling Services, part of the Health and Well-Being collective at the University of North Alabama, has partnered with Active Minds to host Send Silence Packing, an exhibit that has traveled the country to end the silence that surrounds mental health and suicide and connect the campus community with resources for support and action.

The 2025 display will be at the Memorial Amphitheater on Founders’ Hill at UNA on Tuesday, April 1, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The all-day exhibit features personal stories from individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide and is designed to raise awareness about the impact of suicide, connect individuals to mental health resources, and inspire action for suicide prevention. Passersby are invited to walk among the Send Silence Packing backpacks to view the photographs and read stories attached to them. Many of the backpacks were donated by families who lost a loved one to suicide.

“Thanks to the Student Government Association’s financial support and various department volunteers, Student Counseling Services is bringing this initiative to campus as part of a broader commitment to furthering conversations about mental health at UNA and in the community,” said Maggie Stutts, Student Counseling Services Director.

The collaboration has brought a number of campus departments, organizations together, according to Sheena Burgreen, Health and Well-Being Executive Director.

“The Health and Well-Being collaboration – uniting multiple departments, student organizations, and campus partners – aligns with our goal of becoming a health-promoting campus, prioritizing mental health, reducing stigma, and using collective impact to create meaningful change,” she said. “Working together across departments, organizations, and disciplines, we can build a healthier, more connected campus.”

Since its inaugural display on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 2008, Send Silence Packing has reached more than one million visitors and counting, with messages of hope and help. Evaluation data attests to the display’s impact: Most visitors leave wanting to learn more about mental health, and the majority tell three or more people about the display and may reach out to a friend in need or seek help for themselves as a result of experiencing it.

“I founded Active Minds as a freshman in college following the death of my brother, Brian, by suicide in order to end the stigma around mental health. Stigma is shame, shame causes silence, and silence hurts us all,” said Alison Malmon, founder and executive director of Active Minds. “Send Silence Packing is a highly visible way to combat that stigma, increase openness, and inspire action for suicide prevention. Thank you, UNA, for bringing the 2025 exhibit to your community to help continue to spread awareness and inspiring action around mental health and suicide prevention efforts.”

Mental health professionals from Student Counseling Services and our community mental health partners will be on hand to offer support throughout the event. We encourage the entire campus to engage, reflect, and contribute to shaping a campus culture where no one struggles in silence.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.