Next week is Live Life Well week. Live Life Well is a program from the Glenbard School District dedicated to the mental health and wellness of high school students. Each year, a different theme is chosen to inspire and give hope to the student body, and this year’s theme is “Your Story is Just Beginning.” 

The message behind “Your Story is Just Beginning” is that students have a big future ahead of them, and that whatever decisions have been made in the past, it is never too late to start again and make better choices.

To help spread the message, Reality Illinois and the Teen Board of the DuPage County Health Department have planned 2 big events:

First, to kick off Live Life Well week, all DuPage County high school students will be invited to volunteer at the Glen Ellyn Park District Ackerman Facility on President’s Day—Monday, February 16—where they will be able to make blankets for children with cancer. The event lasts from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM, and no registration is required. Pizza and blanket-making supplies will be provided. A motivational speaker, Joshua Wayne, has also been scheduled for the day. Aside from the benefits of giving back to the community (and free pizza) that this event offers, students can also earn service hours for National Honors Society, Key Club, Club Interact, and other activities that require volunteer credits. 

Then, on Tuesday, February 24, the community as a whole will have the opportunity to hear from guest speaker Dr. Julia Garcia at Glenbard West High School at 7:00 PM, after a Health Fair at 6:00 PM with prizes, free health assessments, and giveaways. Garcia is a psychologist and the author of “The Five Habits of Hope,” a self-help book featuring strategies to sustain hope despite hardship. The topic of her presentation will be “From Self-Doubt to Self-Worth: How to Consistently Be Your Best”. 

Along with these two events, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) has also arranged for Garcia to speak to Glenbard District students on February 23 and February 24 in a school-wide assembly at each of the four high schools.