Having a bad day? There's a number you should call.
A group of elementary school students in Healdsburg, California have started a pep talk hotline. The project, called "PEPTOC," is a project by two artists, Jessica Martin and Asherah Weiss, and the students at West Side Elementary.
Call the number 707-998-8410 and you'll be prompted with numbers to press, depending on the type of message you need. Whether you're tired, sad, frustrated, or stressed, the West Side kids have words of encouragement, like…
"You can do it!" "When you're feeling mad you should take three deep breaths and think about what makes you happy." "When you're frustrated you can always go to your bedroom, punch a pillow, or cry on it." "If you're nervous, go get your wallet and spend it on ice cream or shoes." "Do something that inspires you."
According to the project's GoFundMe, the hotline went viral in the first couple days of its existence. They started getting 800 calls an hour, they say, which then shot up to 11,000 an hour.
"West Side is a small rural public school with a very small budget. We have had to cut our arts and other enrichment programs by almost 75% due to lack of funding after the pandemic," the school wrote in the GoFundMe description. "Thanks to donations and some sponsorship, we have been able to cover the hotline fees to keep the hotline going these past two weeks."
So if you're having a bad day, let some kids lighten it up. 707-998-8410.
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