In a world inundated with bold, often impersonal messages, Kathleen Jenson offers a quieter, heartfelt alternative through the Little Heart Project. This initiative, born from Jenson’s own struggles with mental health, involves placing handmade crocheted hearts in public spaces, each attached with notes of encouragement and the national suicide prevention hotline number.
“It just quickly became so much more than that. There’s a lot of people hurting in this world, and this is such a simple, tangible way to let people know they matter,” Jenson says. “Everything means something different to everyone, and it’s remarkable how the hearts seem to find exactly who needs them.”
Jenson, who has battled depression, anxiety, suicidality and PTSD, knows the impact of feeling alone in one’s struggles.
“I lived eight years wanting to kill myself all day, every day. It’s rough,” she admits. Her experiences inspired the creation of the Little Heart Project as a means to offer hope and connection to others in similar situations.
In 17 months, over 31,000 hearts have been distributed from Jenson’s home in Onalaska. The project’s reach extends far beyond Wisconsin, with hearts found as far away as Europe, India, Central America and Canada.
“Just recently, a heart was found at the Iowa State Fair,” Jenson says. “The next day, I got a message from a woman whose brother had recently died by suicide. She wanted to get involved and now runs her own branch in Arizona.”
The initiative has garnered support from various quarters, including elementary school counselor Matt Jacobson, whose Make A Difference Club has created over 300 hearts for their school.
“They become stories, not just pieces of plastic. They’re people’s stories,” Jacobson says. Mental health professionals, too, recognize the project’s unique impact.
“In my 33 years of experience, the Little Heart Project is something I’ve never encountered before,” says social worker Tim Blumentritt. “Kathleen’s project is one of the single most impactful projects I’ve experienced.” For Jenson, the project is a deeply personal mission to bring awareness around suicide and mental health.
“Talking about suicide takes away some of its power,” she says. “I just want to help people know they’re not alone. It’s okay to not be okay.” Through simple, heartfelt gestures, the Little Heart Project continues to touch lives, one crocheted heart at a time.
