With the goal to break the silence and stigma that shrouds mental health, Cody Taggart, a 2011 Niles High School graduate, is creating T-shirts that share a special message.

Taggart, who now lives in Hollywood and works as a personal trainer, has been selling T-shirts emblazoned with a heart and ribbon bearing the word: “Myself.”

“It just shows respect for yourself and self-caring,” Taggart said. “I hope it starts a conversation. I want somebody to ask ‘hey, what does that mean?’”

The T-shirts cost $25 each and are available in either black or white. All proceeds from the sales will benefit Mental Health America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those who have mental health issues. The shirts will be sold for a limited time and orders must be placed by midnight June 10. They can be purchased at pogo.undergroundshirts.com/collections/luv-myself-benefiting-mental-health-america.

Taggart’s motivation for this project was his own mental health. The Niles High School alum said he experienced some difficulty growing up. His family struggled with poverty and often moved from house to house or they were forced to live out of a motel. Additionally, Taggart had a lot of own self-image issues and said he struggled with his weight. But his troubles came to a head when Taggart’s father, Alan Taggart, passed away on July 28, 2014.

“That was really hard on me,” Taggart said. “My dad was my best friend. After he passed away, I had pretty much given up.”

A week after Alan’s death, Taggart attempted to take his own life. After surviving the attempt, Taggart said he knew he needed help and part of that was finding a way to talk openly about mental health issues.

Since those challenging days, Taggart said he has felt motivated to lose weight. He also moved to California and began searching for a way to be a mental health advocate. 

“I don’t want anybody to ever feel like they are at rock bottom,” Taggart said. “A lot of people are afraid to talk about their mental health, because they are afraid of being made fun of.”

To break the silence, Taggart felt motivating shirts that remind people of the importance of loving themselves would be a first step.

“I wanted to open up the conversation about mental health, because it is something that all of us are affected by,” Taggart said. “My goal is to get it to a point, where you are not considered brave to talk about it.”

Fortunately, he got some help from Jasmine LaBine, of Kalamazoo, originally from Niles, who manages Undergroun Printing, a Michigan based T-shirt business and heard about the project. LaBine offered to help Taggart make and distribute the T-shirts. She also helped him cut costs on paying for the materials so that more money could go to the nonprofit.

Since advertising the T-shirts less than a week ago, sales have been taking off. As of Tuesday afternoon, Taggart said more than $1,500 had been raised for Mental Health America, so far. In the next couple of days, Taggart is hoping to raise more than $2,000.

“The response has been great,” Taggart said. “I’ve had more than 70 people message me to say they want the T-shirts and to help spread the word.”