Hope Happens One Yellow Tulip at a Time
Rick Coyne
Plant a Bulb! Hope Gardens Come to Wells
Next May, the town of Wells, ME will be blooming with yellow tulips! Over the past week or so, the Wells/Ogunquit schools have planted 2,100 yellow tulip bulbs on their three campuses. Then on Saturday October 15 the Wells community is invited to join us at the Wells Town Hall to plant Hope Gardens around the town.
Why is the Yellow Tulip Project Smashing Stigma?
The Yellow Tulip Project is a youth driven organization working to smash the stigma of mental illness and educate communities about suicide. According to the Yellow Tulip Project, they are working to build communities of people who realize that HOPE HAPPENS. Their mission is to normalize mental illness.
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The Yellow Tulip Project is a Maine based organization founded in 2016. Then sophomore Julia Hansen lost her two best friends to suicide within months of each other. Julia herself had struggled with depression since middle school, but the tragedy of losing her best friends helped her find her voice and take action.
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How the Yellow Tulip Became a Symbol of Hope
Julia chose one of her best friend’s favorite color - yellow and her other best friend’s favorite flower -the tulip as the symbol for YTP. The yellow tulip has now come to be a symbol of hope!
Rick Coyne, Owner/Broker of EXIT Oceanside Realty, had been searching for a way to give back to the community when he stumbled upon The Yellow Tulip Project. Having lost his stepson to suicide 30 years before, Rick felt an immediate connection with their mission. In May of 2022, Rick organized the First Annual EXIT Oceanside Realty Golf Tournament in partnership with The Yellow Tulip Project with the hope of bringing their programming to the Wells community. Please join us to plant Hope Gardens, build community, talk about mental health, and smash the stigma! 
Yellow Tulip Project
If you or someone you care about is struggling with mental health, know that there is help and hope out there. For more information on The Yellow Tulip Project, mental health resources, and how to get involved in smashing the stigma of mental illness and bringing hope to others, visit The Yellow Tulip Project.
