Alexis Atwood of Atlanta, Georgia suggested including an easily-downloadable Silver Ribbon, and HTML code, somewhere on the site so that people can readily copy and place the link on their own personal blogs or professional websites to promote the Silver Ribbon Coalition and Campaign for the Brain. In August, 2007, Alexis created her own Atlanta Mental Health Resources website (http://atlantamentalhealth.googlepages.com/) after spending endless hours trying to find such resources on the internet. The site includes links to both national and local Atlanta metro area organizations.

Alexis encourages putting the Silver Ribbon icon and link on your site as she has done on both her Myspace site as well as her Mental Health Resource site. By doing so, you will increase exponentially the number of people who learn about the Silver Ribbon Coalition. Our logos are displayed to the right for downloading (right-click and select "Save picture as") or you can copy and paste the code below it into your blog.

“As a person who deals with mental illness, it is important to me to raise awareness about mental health and erase the stigma that has followed it for centuries. The more places we can display the Silver Ribbon, the more awareness we create, stripping away the fear of talking about it and allowing people to learn more about their own or a loved one's mental illness.”

The Silver Ribbon Campaign for the Brain has been encouraged in college campuses since the summer of 2005 when Alison Malmon, the Founder and Executive Director of Active Minds, Inc. contacted Hal and Patsy Hollister, the Executive Directors of the Silver Ribbon Coalition, for formal approval to promote the Campaign.  Active Minds is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC that develops and supports student-run mental health awareness, education, and advocacy chapters on college campuses across the country. To date, there are 65 Active Minds groups on college campuses across the nation.  The mission of each is to increase awareness of mental health issues, provide information and resources regarding mental health and mental illness, encourage students to seek help as soon as it is needed, and to serve as a liaison between students and the mental health community. 

Members of Active Minds spread the word about the Silver Ribbon Coalition by making and handing out Silver Ribbons on campus, and attaching ribbons to book bags and other accessories.  Additionally, a link to the Silver Ribbon Coalition is promoted on their web site and Active Minds sells their own Silver Wristband to advocates of the Campaign.

Myra Kanter of California writes, “I make Silver Ribbon Cookies using an Awareness Ribbon Cookie cutter, and frost them with a silvery frosting.  These cookies make a great addition to advocacy meetings, and to share with neighbors, coworkers, and family.” Silver Ribbon Awareness Ribbon Cookie Cutters are now available through NARSAD Artworks.

Click here for the cookie and icing recipes.

For anyone on a tight budget, Jean Liechty, the Silver Ribbon Founder, describes how she and the founding committee initially made Silver Ribbons out of silver Hallmark Ribbon, attached them to cards with the motto using stick pins, and handed them out in mass numbers.  A few Silver Ribbon advocates one afternoon with a little ingenuity, a little experimenting, and a bit of creativity, and a few hundred ribbons can be made on the cheap.   

1. Cut wrapping or fabric silver ribbon into 2 to 3 inch strips depending on size of Silver Ribbon desired

2. Use your word processing program or hand-write a message including the Silver Ribbon Coalition URL that will fit into a 2 by 3 inch (or as preferred) square

3. Print on 2 by 3 inch square (or as preferred) card stock on your home computer or at the local copy center

4. Affix the ribbons to the cards with straight pins or small safety pins during a "pin-sitting"

Needed: Scissors, cloth or wrapping silver ribbon, stick or safety pins, computer and Word Processing Program (or pen and ink), and card stock and a home printer or access to copy center. 

Hand out your self-made Silver Ribbon Pins on college campuses, at organized events, and in public places where you can.

Meggin Hollister of California has written a cover letter introducing the Silver Ribbon Coalition to more than 300 neurologists, neurosurgeons, and psychiatrists in a local county.  She inserted a Silver Ribbon Coalition brochure in each letter and encouraged the physicians to contact NARSAD Artworks for more brochures for their waiting and exam rooms.  Use her letter template, or create your own with personal information about why you support the Silver Ribbon and send your letter to your personal practitioners as well as create a mailing list of local brain-related doctors and therapists.

Ways to create local mailing lists:

• Health Benefit Provider books list practitioners by discipline and include addresses

• Phone books

• Internet searches

• Contact local support and advocacy groups to see if they have such lists available

Contact the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association and so forth to see if they have such lists available.