AUBURN, California — Hundreds of colorful notes line the Foresthill Bridge in Auburn, Calif. with messages of hope for anyone who reads them.
At 730 feet above the north fork of the American River, the Foresthill Bridge is California’s tallest bridge. The area is popular for hiking and its scenic views of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The height, which makes the bridge so marvelous, is also why the 47-year-old crossing has a checkered past. As many as 90 people have died by suicide near the bridge, according to reports.
However, a noteworthy force of concerned community members has been working for nearly a decade to make anyone who visits the pale green concrete and steel bridge feel hope.
“We’re hoping that we can give them a lifeline and a reason to look forward to tomorrow,” said Kathryn Holt, an organizer with Notes of Hope.
A note written on a yellow sheet of laminated paper reads “your story isn’t over yet… write another chapter!” Another note on brown paper reads “Please know you are loved!”
These handcrafted sheets also provide phone numbers that anyone can contact if they are in a dark place. There are also six telephones located near the bridge connect directly to a crisis counselor who can offer help.
The notes have been zip-tied to the 6-foot tall, pale green bars that were retrofitted over pedestrian safety concerns by the Placer County Public Works in 2010, Gold Country Media reported.
“So, we don’t want this location that people think of for suicide,” Holt said. “We want this location to be a celebration of the Sierra Nevada mountains.”
Ellie Conway, 16, knows the pain that the act of suicide brings to the family and friends. The Placer High School student has two close family friends who have died by suicide. She and her classmate Summer Tagge, 15, helped place the positive notes across the bridge on Sunday.
“It’s a way of making a difference in a time that I couldn’t previously,” Conway said.
The efforts by the group of Placer County residents to have saved at least one life. Jim Ross told ABC 10 in May 2019 that a single note stopped him from reaching the edge.
"It just gave me hope -- hope enough to carry on," Ross said last year.
While volunteers continue to bring hope to the area, there have been numerous attempts to thwart their efforts. Phones were cut out of the crisis call boxes earlier in February. And hundreds of the messages were torn down in 2018.
The bridge often brings Jeremy Van Wert to contemplate what may be going through the minds of people who visit it alone. The certified marriage and family counselor crosses it regularly. He volunteered to put up the notes as well.
“Because you think about the person who is going to read these,” Van Wert said. “And you put a little bit of yourself on the bridge as well, to hopefully reach them.”
He urges anyone who is having suicidal thoughts to reach out to someone for help. It can start by talking to a friend, family member, or counselor.
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline can be dialed at any time at 1-800-273-8255 for free and confidential support for anyone in distress or need of prevention and crisis resources.
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