Bright Blue 988 Buddy Benches Installed

A bench is a pretty ordinary object. But in Camas and Washougal, a few new ones are being asked to do a bigger job — make mental-health support visible in places where kids and families already spend time. That is the idea behind the bright blue and yellow 988 “Buddy Benches” the Rotary Club of Camas-Washougal has been installing this spring. Six were already in place by late April, with two more on the way. (kxl.com) ### What is a 988 buddy bench? It is basically a public bench with a second purpose. The benches carry the 988 number — the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — and are meant to prompt a pause, a conversation, or a moment of connection. Rotary says the project is designed to destigmatize mental-health discussions and offer an easy access point for anyone who may need help. (kxl.com) ### Why a bench instead of a flyer? Because benches do not disappear into a backpack. They sit there in plain view every day. That matters for a topic people still avoid until things get bad. A visible object in a school or public setting works like a quiet nudge — not a lecture, not a crisis siren, jus(kxl.com)ches more broadly as tools to combat loneliness and spark connection when students need someone to talk to. (camas.wednet.edu) ### Who is putting these in? The push is coming from the Rotary Club of Camas-Washougal, with Kathy Bussman helping explain the idea publicly. Rotary had already laid out a plan for eight public-use benches around the Camas-Washougal area, tied directly to 988 outreach. The local club has framed it as part community service project, part youth-support effort. (kxl.com) ### Where are the benches going? The placements are a mix of schools and other public spots around Camas and Washougal. One confirmed school site is Skyridge Middle School, which announced in September 2025 that it had received a buddy bench funded and installed by Camas-Washougal Rotary. The district d(kxl.com)ged to invite them in. (camas.wednet.edu) ### How big is the project? It is small in scale, but that is part of why it feels real. This is not a giant county rollout with a branding campaign and a consultant deck. It is eight benches. Six were already installed by late April 2026, and Rotary says each one costs about $1,000 to install. That puts the full project around the cost of a modest local fundraiser, not a major public program. (kxl.com) ### Why does 988 matter here? Because 988 is meant to be the mental-health equivalent of an easy-to-remember emergency number. Rotary’s own explainer leans on that comparison — like 911, but for mental-health issues — while also stressing that people do not need to be at a breaking point to use it. The (kxl.com)d free of charge. (cwrotary.com) ### Could this spread beyond Camas? Maybe. Bussman said other Rotary clubs have noticed the benches and may copy the idea. That is the interesting part — not because a bench is some magic fix, but because it is easy to replicate. If one low-cost object can make mental-health support feel a little more ordinary, other communities can borrow the playbook fast. (kxl.c([cwrotary.com)ary-installing-988-mental-health-support-buddy-benches/)) ### Bottom line? These benches are small, local, and a little unusual. But that is why they work. They take a hotline people may only vaguely know about and turn it into something physical, public, and hard to miss. In a school setting especially, that can be enough to start the conversation before a crisis does. (kxl.com)