In a climate of increased awareness of mental health, a Glendale student’s service project focused on sharing the belief that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

  

Cora Dwyer, senior, has been a member of the American Heritage Girls (AHG) organization since 7th grade. Dwyer moved along the ranks in her troop, MO1118. She has earned badges, grown in her religion and helped out the community as a part of AHG.

  

During her time as an American Heritage Girl, Dwyer learned about the Stars and Stripes Award and knew she wanted to win it. The Stars and Stripes award is a 100-hour service project created to better the community. It is the highest honor a troop member can receive. Dwyer is the first recipient from her troop. Cindy Faust, troop MO1118’s coordinator, is proud of Dwyer’s accomplishment.

  

“It’s just such an honor for the troop, and it’s just a privilege for me to see her do what she’s done,” Faust said,

  

For her project, Dwyer focused on an issue that is very important to her. At a celebration honoring her for winning the Stars and Stripes award, Dwyer shared her motivation in a speech. 

  

“As many of you know, the topics of mental health and suicide are ones dear to my heart, ones that I struggle with on a day-to-day basis,” Dwyer said. “As much as I struggle with the pain of mental illness, I want to help people with it even more.”

  

Throughout this process, Dwyer needed letters of recommendation, a detailed plan for her idea and a polished application of her plan in real life. Based on her passions, Dwyer chose to do an art show spreading awareness about mental illness. 

  

“With this idea of an art show, it kind of just came because I know that art is very therapeutic in helping with mental illness and getting through your journey,” Dwyer said. 

  

Vince Salomon, a leader of Dwyer’s AHG troop and Dwyer’s Stars and Stripes mentor, helped Cora along the way logistically and spiritually. 

  

“Part of it is making sure that she doesn’t miss any of the things she needs in order to accomplish it, so there’s a leader’s guide that we go through. We just check all the details, make sure everything is done in order,” Salomon said. “The other part of it was guiding her in a spiritual way through the project.”

  

The art show Dwyer accomplished began in June 2018 and remained up until September at the Park Central Library in Downtown Springfield. Dwyer won the Stars and Stripes Award in August for her efforts. Looking back, Dwyer was most pleased with the opening of her art show. 

  

“There were people who came in, some artists and some family friends, and they were crying as they were looking at the artwork, so just seeing the impact that it was already having on the first day,” Dwyer said. 

  

Dwyer hopes people learned about the effect of mental illness from the show. The title of the show was “Light at the End of the Tunnel.”

  

“My hope is that they realize the impact that suicide has, but also one of the big things is for people who might be struggling right now to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Dwyer said.

  

The creed of the American Heritage Girls is a large part of this award. Dwyer knows the creed by heart. 

  

“As an American Heritage Girl, I promise to be compassionate, helpful, honest, loyal, perseverant, pure, resourceful, respectful, responsible and reverent,” Dwyer said. 

  

Dwyer sees this art show as the beginning of her career in the world of mental health.

  

“I am going to college to study to be a psychologist,” Dwyer said. “This is the beginning of my journey of becoming a psychologist and making more impact on this community of mentally ill and suicidal people.”

  

Dwyer sees the issue of mental health as a priority for the community and Glendale. She says the focus put on this issue should not lose momentum. 

  

“I just think mental health is such an important issue, and we’ve addressed it at the Flock Together event,” Dwyer said. “I think that that needs to be a continued effort… That needs to be the beginning.”

  

To learn more about the Light at the End of the Tunnel art exhibit, follow @lightattheend.exhibit on Instagram. For more information on American Heritage Girls and how to join, visit www.americanheritagegirls.org.