The signs appeared practically overnight. They appeared everywhere. Each featured just a few uplifting words in simple black type: "Don't Give Up." "You Are Worthy of Love. "At the high school in Newberg, Oregon, two students killed themselves that year, so the town of 25, 000 instantly understood the messages. For days, what no one could figure out was who had planted them.
Amy Wolff had. She felt necessary to address Newberg's grief. She planted the signs anonymously(匿名)because she wanted them to be about their message, not any one person.
Yet as Wolff saw the deep influence her signs had on her neighbors, she decided to share her message publicly. Instantly, her mailbox was flooded with requests for more signs. She asked a friend, graphic designer Jessica Brittell, to print more. "We decided to just ride it out, just keep going until the orders stop, "says Wolff.
That was in May 2017. Since then, the Don't Give Up Movement launched by Wolff has spread from Newberg to the hearts and yards of people in every state and several countries. Wolff charges only the cost of materials and shipping. "It's a terrible business decision if we wanted to function like a business, "she says.
One of the most heartening elements of the Don't Give Up Movement is that it has gone viral in a remarkably human way. People have taken to planting the signs in their lawns, taking selfies, and then posting them to share.
"It was the best feeling in the world that I could have an impact outside of school by using these products, "says a teacher, in Texas teaching a lesson in unity after his classroom moved online. "This was a good way to let them know that we care even when we can't see them."
Wolff's message is about to grow yet again. "But there has never been a more fierce backdrop to the power of hope and sympathetic action than right now," Wolff shares.
