The 988 Coin

November 18, 2024

John Schlimm

Art, Blog

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The 988 Coin

Created By Dutch Manufacturing x John Schlimm x Community Education Center

In Partnership with Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force

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In September 2024, the creative collective of St. Marys Area High School’s Dutch Manufacturing x John Schlimm x Community Education Center of Elk & Cameron Counties in partnership with the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force began researching and designing The 988 Coin. The mission of the project is to spread awareness of 988, which is the national suicide and crisis hotline, throughout the local rural and small town region.

During September to November, The 988 Coin was conceptualized, researched, brainstormed, and designed over the course of numerous creative sessions. During early 2025, the coin went into production. Now, during April and May, 30,000 of the coins—almost 2,000 pounds of powdered metal—are being distributed throughout Cameron and Elk Counties in Pennsylvania during The 988 Coin Tour and other outreach facilitated by the Cameron/Elk Suicide Prevention Task Force and the Community Education Center’s Leadership Elk & Cameron program.

Please also note that the original name of the coin, which was The 988 Smile Coin, was changed to The 988 Coin.

The 988 Coin is the third project by the DM x JS x CEC collective. Their first project was THE SMILE COIN in 2023, followed by The Pillars: A Monument Honoring Our Local Carbon and Powdered Metal Industries, which was started in January 2024 and will be installed and dedicated in August 2025.

The production of the 30,000 988 Coins is being sponsored by Dickinson Center, Inc.’s Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program and the Elk County Commissioners.