The event is a partnership between Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center (SEKMHC), Zero Reasons Why Allen County, and Humboldt Speedway. Participants will be invited to write stigmatizing words, labels, and negative messages tied to mental health struggles on a vehicle, then symbolically destroy them with sledgehammers, bats, and other tools. SEKMHC’s grant and program coordinator, Jen Taylor, said the effort also depended on donations of cars by Kyleigh Harper and Cody Weast, and that all glass has been removed from the vehicles.
SEKMHC’s Travis Buck, Children’s Case Manager and Peer Mentor Lead, said the activity is designed to challenge misconceptions by making the message literal—smashed stigma, followed by more awareness and open conversation. The event aims to encourage education, remind youth that negative labels do not define them, and highlight that support is available for people who may be struggling.