LOUISVILLE, KY — The Kentucky community is coming together in a big way — driving change — thanks in part to new license plates that honor the life of a young person gone far too soon.
The next time you're driving around the Tri-State, be on the lookout for a green license plate and then get one of your own.
"It started with the creation of the Mental Health flag, which we worked on that in 2019 for the most part, and it took us about a year to develop it, and we worked with a lot of local mental health agencies and psychiatrists and psychologists and artists and teachers and students," said Molly Jones.
Molly Jones is the CEO of the Pete Foundation for Depression Prevention. But more than that, she's the mother of Pete Jones.
"I have five children, four boys and one girl, and Pete was my son. He was an identical twin, probably the fourth of the boys, because he's the youngest twin. So he was just a great kid," Jones said.
Molly and the Jones family say Pete spoke of his depression, but they never thought they would lose him to suicide at just 23 years old.
"In his early 20s, [Pete] talked to me. He was seeking help, but at age 23, he decided to end his life. He was such a good person, and it took us all by surprise; his brothers and his sister were shocked. Couldn't believe this happened, but felt like if this happened to our family, it can happen to any family," Jones said.
Now, Pete's family members are working together to ensure no one suffers in silence.
Together, they organize community awareness events from their home in Louisville, Kentucky, develop educational materials, and help facilitate research.
"We feel like the focus really should be on youth because that way, we change it for generations. And so, you know, we've started a music festival to bring people together about this so, and now we're moving into actually looking to provide more resources for people so that they can gain a better understanding about how to seek care," Jones said.
Their latest initiative is the license plates, which feature the mental health flag. The flag was first developed in 2020 and serves as a symbol. The design reflects a sunrise and a shift from dark to light.
"There is hope and there is renewal, and there is that brighter day and also the curve shape to represent, like the embracing and the hugging," Jones said.
Molly says these shades represent different stages of our emotional journey and hopes that as we see more and more of these plates on our roads, others will feel both seen and heard.
The plates are currently available for $44. $10 directly supports The Pete Foundation.
"10 dollars comes back to us, and we use that to provide QPR training, which is Question, Persuade, Refer. And it can be thought of as CPR for a mental or emotional crisis. And it's just a 60 to 90-minute training, and it's really good training," said Jones.
