Dozens of white balloons floated across campus Wednesday as members of the Suicide Awareness Organization handed them out to passing students.

The balloons each had strips of paper with mental health and suicide statistics attached, as well as the suicide prevention hotline.

“Statistically speaking, there are 7,000 students (at Iowa State) that suffer from mental illness of some kind, so if just one student gets an encouraging message that prevents them from doing something stupid,” Austin Gerber, vice president of the organization, said. “This is worth it.”

The group hoped to promote mental health and keep students talking about the topic.

“If we keep talking about the topic and promote mental health regularly, that works to lessen the stigma that surrounds the topic for so many people, and that helps people that need help to go get it,” Nathan Pfister, president of the organization, said.

The White Balloon Project was the brain child of a national mental health organization, Gerber said, and was something the organization wanted to bring to Iowa State to promote mental health.

“The balloons are just a fun way to connect to the students and easily promote what we’re talking about,” Gerber said.

After a suicide at Iowa State in the fall, and the growing awareness about mental health in society, the Suicide Awareness Organization hopes to keep pushing its message of helping as many as they can.

One issue that is often associated with mental health is the unwillingness of people to talk about it, which makes getting help difficult at times.

“We can have all the counselors in the world, but if no ones goes to see them, then it defeats the purpose,” Pfister said. 

Their hope is that events like the White Balloon Project will keep mental health in the conversation and will make it easier to open up about the topic, Pfister said.

It was no coincidence that the event happened during this time of the school year. Finals are approaching fast, which can cause lots of stress and problems in the mental health of students.

“This time of year, there’s a lot of pressure, and lots of students look burnt out, so we intentionally wanted to do it during this time of the year,” Gerber said.

Another way the Suicide Awareness Organization is trying to promote mental health during this time of year is through Dog Days, which will take place from 11:30 a.m to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday near the Campanile. A lot of dogs will be present for students to pet and de-stress.