September 11, 2025 • 12 mins
We spoke with Co-Founders, Hannah DeCampos and Abagail Franzese about Buttoned Together a non-profit organization that believes art is a powerful tool for self-expression and mental well-being.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Allison de Merz and my guests this morning are Hannah
de Campos and Abigail Franzis. They are both executive director
of Button Together, Inc. Good morning, Good morning. So for
those who don't know about Buttoned Together, Inc. How did
it come about?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
So?
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Abby and I started buying together ink this year in
honor of our best friend Laila Nemes. We lost our
best friend Laila to suicide in March of this year
and it was extremely hard for both of us. But
during our grief, we turned to creating together and we
discovered how healing art can be and it really allowed
us to express ourselves without judgment, and it allowed us
(00:42):
to connect with others and we wanted to share that
experience with our community.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
And I'm so sorry about Leila. I'm no stranger to
suicide myself. It's happened in my life to many of
those around me that I love, and it made me
the person who I am today going through those experiences,
and I have the utmost empathy for anybody struggling with
something like this.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yes, thank you so much. It really it does. It
impacted me to Abby so much and being able to
create some good out of this is something that we
really wanted to find.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
So what is your mission?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Our mission is to create an accessible and welcoming environment
where anyone can come in and do arts. We want
to have programs and open studio time and just events
where people can come and create and connect with each other.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And where would this take place?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
So right now we are in Nauguta, Connecticut, and we
are at fairs and any just like a community event,
but our long term goal is to open a studio space.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
So in the meantime, has anyone taken advantage of these
programs or services?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Yeah, we've connected with the nautch Art Commission and we've
been going to concerts and fairs, go around town and
people come and sit with our table and color and
draw and get to know us. We're looking to bring
that to schools and like all around Connecticut.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
What kind of impact have you seen it have on
people who've participated?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
From the start, people really just say like wow, like
this was missing. They really say like we wanted a
space and we want stuff to do. We just don't
know how to find it or find like minded people.
So off the bat, people are light up and they're like, Wow,
I can do something and it doesn't have to be hard,
it can just be easy.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
And why are we chose art?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Because we both grew up with art and when dealing
with her DUTs, we spent a lot of time obviously
speaking about it and trying to like figure everything out
and come to some sort of conclusion. That's so difficult,
and we just would end up sitting down drawing, talking
about our creative goals and dreams. Hannah, she came up
(02:56):
to me one day and she was like, we need
to do something. We need to help other peo. And
that's how we came up with fun together. And that's
how art was. The main thing is because it helped
us so much.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
So it helped you in order to mourn, but you're
hoping that it'll help others to maybe not think of suicide.
It would be like a suicide prevention method.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Yeah, one hundred. Our real outlet, Like what we really
want for people to get out of this is there's
a community for you and you're not alone and even
if you can't express it through words, we can help
you express it through other means.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Well, you're really blessed that you have each other to
go through this.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Yeah, it truly like, I don't think we'd be able
to do it without each other and without art and
without a bigger mission.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Did you say how long ago this happened to Laila?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
It was in March of this year, so a couple
of months ago. It's very new.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah, I'm so so sorry. Again. When I was eighteen
years old, I had a friend commit suicide and it
changed my life completely. I was like, where is he?
You know, you're raised Catholic and they're like, they're not
in heaven. It just made me question life, like, well,
where is he? Is he nine heaven?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Oh no, I don't.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Understand what I'm nineteen and Abby twenty and we one
hundred percent agree. It just changes the way you look
at everything.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Yeah, you're terrectly telling you.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Well, I actually found a deeper faith in God at
that point. I believed that, you know, if God is
all powerful, all knowing and everywhere, and if he is
truly a good father, he understood how desperate and how
heartbroken and depressed my friend was, and in his mercy,
he took him. He didn't have to, he could let
him live. But I think he saw down the road,
(04:40):
and so to me, I just thought of it as
a kind thing, you know, on behalf of God. So
I actually went deeper in my faith and found God
even more.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yeah, we were still trying to figure out how we feel,
and we're trying to figure out where our religion and
the way we look at life styles into it. It's
very confusing and sometimes the only thing that makes sense
is having a future to look forward to.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
And honestly like as like maybe corny is a south
the art, like the art is so like true to us,
so like we're hoping we can bring that to everyone else.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
It is not corny at all. I wish I was
a good artist. My children are amazing. It's a gift.
It's comforting, and then it blesses other people. I say,
since it's been only March, it's like a shipwreck. At first,
the ship goes down and there's these big waves and
they just keep hitting you and there's no relief. And
then the smaller waves come and then it gets still,
(05:36):
but then like the big waves will come again. And
this happened to me at your age, which is so
crazy that all these years later we're discussing it. But
I know that I know that. I know you will
say to others, I've been where you are and I
got through it, and you will too, and this is
what we do to get through it.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, that is so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Thank you. So that really touched me so much.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
I definitely needed to hear that. And just also with
September being suicide professional month, it just feels so much
more meaningful to be able to talk to you and
even just hear your experience with it and knowing that
you got through it and knowing that we can and
other people can is so powerful. And that's really what
I think, Leila, and what I think we want to
(06:18):
get out of this is we can help people, even
if it feels scary, even if it feels like we can't.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
I get aggravated when I hear people say it's very selfish,
because it's not. Nobody in their right mind will do this.
This is a depressed, very very anxiety written perhaps person.
So when people say this is so selfish, they're not
thinking about everybody else. They don't have the capacity to
think about anybody else. They're so broken.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Yeah, through that is the most selfless act someone could commit.
It takes when you were like at rock bottom. It's
when you think it's for everyone else, but truly it's
heartbreaking in it. It's no way selfish.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
No, we really want to bring some of that light
of I know, like since like Layla's deaks is I
did happen like we have, We're anxious and we are
facing like some mental health stuff and just knowing like
there is a light at the end of the tunnel,
knowing that there's people in organizations and things that want
to help you, knowing that death there, that's what we
(07:19):
really want to get across. Even if we're not the
organization for you, find in fight for something that is
for you.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
You can dial two one one if you need any
kind of mental health help spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, do
everything you can. A loss is very, very difficult, Like
I say, it feels like a shipwreck. You mourn that person,
you more in the future you thought you'd have with
that person, you more in the presence. So thank you
for being a light in the dark where you're trying
(07:48):
to love on people and also honor Layla's memory. That's
our job when they're gone. So what can we do
to support your work in your organization?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
The best way to support us is to join us.
We want people to come to our events, sit our table,
to create with us, and find us on social media
and look those to what we're doing. And every person
who shows up, we want them to add a sense
of community that we're building. You can also help us
by streading the world so more people know these opportunities exist,
by donating so we can continue to provide supplies and
(08:22):
host events. But the other inc is about bringing people
together through art, and it works best when everyone contributes
anyway that they can.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Yeah, and also just at least for me, like Abby
is a lot more like she studies art and she's
going to school for art and I'm not. But knowing
like anyone can create art. It does not have to
look incredible for it to feel good. And knowing you
can come even if you're not the most amazing artist's
it's very freeing when we take away wanting to look
(08:52):
good and just doing it too feel good.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
M Well said, It's Button Together charity dot org. If
you'd like to be a sponsor, if you'd like to donate,
find out more about these future events. Let's talk about
the creativity care package that you offer.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Yeah, so that is a new program that we just started.
So every month we are going to be making a
care package. So we will you tell us your age,
some things you like and we will make a little
box full of art supplies and ideas of creative projects
that you can do at home and drop it off
to your health. This is one of the ways we
(09:30):
want to make our a little more accessible. We know
people can't go to events, cannot get people.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
To watch their kids, to find.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Little times in the day to do it. We want
to bring it to you, find ways for you to
have some outlet into very busy schedule. And it's completely free.
Just sign up on our website and then we bring
it to you and we will continue doing it. It's
once a month, it's like a subscription.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
I love that. And you also have free art events
as well.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Yes, all of our events are free. That's a big
thing we really want. We want our events to be
free and if an event is any money, it will
be very low and there's there will be ways around it.
We don't want money to be a factor in this,
like we want everyone to be able to come and
create no matter their financial status.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
How nice. What challenges are the organization trying to solve
in the community.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
We really, at least for us, we want people to
feel supported and we in our community we live, we're
like running out of Naugata, Connecticut. We feel like just
the mental health aspects, financial pressures, and just overall expectations
that come with living in a smaller town and wanting
to make it out or do something bigger. We want
(10:43):
the stigma and we want all of that to be gone.
We want to have these open studio classes, and we
want to really feel like people are coming together and
creating without judgment. We want to make sure people are
in group settings and meeting new people are not just
sticking to a routine because they were told to. We
want people to find creative freedom and an outlet from
(11:07):
what seems to be like a very busy and sometimes
scary world.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yes, and as you said, it doesn't matter if your
picture comes out terrible. Their self worth is so important.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Yeah, And that's like Abby will be making this insane
like masterpiece and I'll be coloring in a coloring book
and we both are still getting the same feeling because
it's about being together and being like allowed to shut
your brain off for a second. And just be in
the moment. And that's what we really want.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah, just to be and to just know that you're
accepted unconditionally.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Well, I'm speaking with Hannah de Campos and Abigail Frenzies.
They are both executive director of Button Together, Inc. Again
that web address is Button Together charity dot org. Please
make a donation. We want this to grow and get bigger.
You can find out more about their events, maybe sponsor
it and maybe start getting some volunteer and see it
get bigger and bigger and bigger. Thank you both for
(12:03):
being here today, for sharing your story and for serving
the community.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Thank you so much.
Good morning, Thank you for listening to Community Access. I'm
Allison de Merz and my guests this morning are Hannah
de Campos and Abigail Franzis. They are both executive director
of Button Together, Inc. Good morning, Good morning. So for
those who don't know about Buttoned Together, Inc. How did
it come about?
Speaker 2 (00:19):
So?
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Abby and I started buying together ink this year in
honor of our best friend Laila Nemes. We lost our
best friend Laila to suicide in March of this year
and it was extremely hard for both of us. But
during our grief, we turned to creating together and we
discovered how healing art can be and it really allowed
us to express ourselves without judgment, and it allowed us
(00:42):
to connect with others and we wanted to share that
experience with our community.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
And I'm so sorry about Leila. I'm no stranger to
suicide myself. It's happened in my life to many of
those around me that I love, and it made me
the person who I am today going through those experiences,
and I have the utmost empathy for anybody struggling with
something like this.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yes, thank you so much. It really it does. It
impacted me to Abby so much and being able to
create some good out of this is something that we
really wanted to find.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
So what is your mission?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Our mission is to create an accessible and welcoming environment
where anyone can come in and do arts. We want
to have programs and open studio time and just events
where people can come and create and connect with each other.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
And where would this take place?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
So right now we are in Nauguta, Connecticut, and we
are at fairs and any just like a community event,
but our long term goal is to open a studio space.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
So in the meantime, has anyone taken advantage of these
programs or services?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Yeah, we've connected with the nautch Art Commission and we've
been going to concerts and fairs, go around town and
people come and sit with our table and color and
draw and get to know us. We're looking to bring
that to schools and like all around Connecticut.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
What kind of impact have you seen it have on
people who've participated?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
From the start, people really just say like wow, like
this was missing. They really say like we wanted a
space and we want stuff to do. We just don't
know how to find it or find like minded people.
So off the bat, people are light up and they're like, Wow,
I can do something and it doesn't have to be hard,
it can just be easy.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
And why are we chose art?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Because we both grew up with art and when dealing
with her DUTs, we spent a lot of time obviously
speaking about it and trying to like figure everything out
and come to some sort of conclusion. That's so difficult,
and we just would end up sitting down drawing, talking
about our creative goals and dreams. Hannah, she came up
(02:56):
to me one day and she was like, we need
to do something. We need to help other peo. And
that's how we came up with fun together. And that's
how art was. The main thing is because it helped
us so much.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
So it helped you in order to mourn, but you're
hoping that it'll help others to maybe not think of suicide.
It would be like a suicide prevention method.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Yeah, one hundred. Our real outlet, Like what we really
want for people to get out of this is there's
a community for you and you're not alone and even
if you can't express it through words, we can help
you express it through other means.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Well, you're really blessed that you have each other to
go through this.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Yeah, it truly like, I don't think we'd be able
to do it without each other and without art and
without a bigger mission.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Did you say how long ago this happened to Laila?
Speaker 3 (03:46):
It was in March of this year, so a couple
of months ago. It's very new.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah, I'm so so sorry. Again. When I was eighteen
years old, I had a friend commit suicide and it
changed my life completely. I was like, where is he?
You know, you're raised Catholic and they're like, they're not
in heaven. It just made me question life, like, well,
where is he? Is he nine heaven?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Oh no, I don't.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Understand what I'm nineteen and Abby twenty and we one
hundred percent agree. It just changes the way you look
at everything.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Yeah, you're terrectly telling you.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Well, I actually found a deeper faith in God at
that point. I believed that, you know, if God is
all powerful, all knowing and everywhere, and if he is
truly a good father, he understood how desperate and how
heartbroken and depressed my friend was, and in his mercy,
he took him. He didn't have to, he could let
him live. But I think he saw down the road,
(04:40):
and so to me, I just thought of it as
a kind thing, you know, on behalf of God. So
I actually went deeper in my faith and found God
even more.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Yeah, we were still trying to figure out how we feel,
and we're trying to figure out where our religion and
the way we look at life styles into it. It's
very confusing and sometimes the only thing that makes sense
is having a future to look forward to.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
And honestly like as like maybe corny is a south
the art, like the art is so like true to us,
so like we're hoping we can bring that to everyone else.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
It is not corny at all. I wish I was
a good artist. My children are amazing. It's a gift.
It's comforting, and then it blesses other people. I say,
since it's been only March, it's like a shipwreck. At first,
the ship goes down and there's these big waves and
they just keep hitting you and there's no relief. And
then the smaller waves come and then it gets still,
(05:36):
but then like the big waves will come again. And
this happened to me at your age, which is so
crazy that all these years later we're discussing it. But
I know that I know that. I know you will
say to others, I've been where you are and I
got through it, and you will too, and this is
what we do to get through it.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, that is so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Thank you. So that really touched me so much.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
I definitely needed to hear that. And just also with
September being suicide professional month, it just feels so much
more meaningful to be able to talk to you and
even just hear your experience with it and knowing that
you got through it and knowing that we can and
other people can is so powerful. And that's really what
I think, Leila, and what I think we want to
(06:18):
get out of this is we can help people, even
if it feels scary, even if it feels like we can't.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
I get aggravated when I hear people say it's very selfish,
because it's not. Nobody in their right mind will do this.
This is a depressed, very very anxiety written perhaps person.
So when people say this is so selfish, they're not
thinking about everybody else. They don't have the capacity to
think about anybody else. They're so broken.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Yeah, through that is the most selfless act someone could commit.
It takes when you were like at rock bottom. It's
when you think it's for everyone else, but truly it's
heartbreaking in it. It's no way selfish.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
No, we really want to bring some of that light
of I know, like since like Layla's deaks is I
did happen like we have, We're anxious and we are
facing like some mental health stuff and just knowing like
there is a light at the end of the tunnel,
knowing that there's people in organizations and things that want
to help you, knowing that death there, that's what we
(07:19):
really want to get across. Even if we're not the
organization for you, find in fight for something that is
for you.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
You can dial two one one if you need any
kind of mental health help spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally, do
everything you can. A loss is very, very difficult, Like
I say, it feels like a shipwreck. You mourn that person,
you more in the future you thought you'd have with
that person, you more in the presence. So thank you
for being a light in the dark where you're trying
(07:48):
to love on people and also honor Layla's memory. That's
our job when they're gone. So what can we do
to support your work in your organization?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
The best way to support us is to join us.
We want people to come to our events, sit our table,
to create with us, and find us on social media
and look those to what we're doing. And every person
who shows up, we want them to add a sense
of community that we're building. You can also help us
by streading the world so more people know these opportunities exist,
by donating so we can continue to provide supplies and
(08:22):
host events. But the other inc is about bringing people
together through art, and it works best when everyone contributes
anyway that they can.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Yeah, and also just at least for me, like Abby
is a lot more like she studies art and she's
going to school for art and I'm not. But knowing
like anyone can create art. It does not have to
look incredible for it to feel good. And knowing you
can come even if you're not the most amazing artist's
it's very freeing when we take away wanting to look
(08:52):
good and just doing it too feel good.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
M Well said, It's Button Together charity dot org. If
you'd like to be a sponsor, if you'd like to donate,
find out more about these future events. Let's talk about
the creativity care package that you offer.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Yeah, so that is a new program that we just started.
So every month we are going to be making a
care package. So we will you tell us your age,
some things you like and we will make a little
box full of art supplies and ideas of creative projects
that you can do at home and drop it off
to your health. This is one of the ways we
(09:30):
want to make our a little more accessible. We know
people can't go to events, cannot get people.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
To watch their kids, to find.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Little times in the day to do it. We want
to bring it to you, find ways for you to
have some outlet into very busy schedule. And it's completely free.
Just sign up on our website and then we bring
it to you and we will continue doing it. It's
once a month, it's like a subscription.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
I love that. And you also have free art events
as well.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Yes, all of our events are free. That's a big
thing we really want. We want our events to be
free and if an event is any money, it will
be very low and there's there will be ways around it.
We don't want money to be a factor in this,
like we want everyone to be able to come and
create no matter their financial status.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
How nice. What challenges are the organization trying to solve
in the community.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
We really, at least for us, we want people to
feel supported and we in our community we live, we're
like running out of Naugata, Connecticut. We feel like just
the mental health aspects, financial pressures, and just overall expectations
that come with living in a smaller town and wanting
to make it out or do something bigger. We want
(10:43):
the stigma and we want all of that to be gone.
We want to have these open studio classes, and we
want to really feel like people are coming together and
creating without judgment. We want to make sure people are
in group settings and meeting new people are not just
sticking to a routine because they were told to. We
want people to find creative freedom and an outlet from
(11:07):
what seems to be like a very busy and sometimes
scary world.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Yes, and as you said, it doesn't matter if your
picture comes out terrible. Their self worth is so important.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Yeah, And that's like Abby will be making this insane
like masterpiece and I'll be coloring in a coloring book
and we both are still getting the same feeling because
it's about being together and being like allowed to shut
your brain off for a second. And just be in
the moment. And that's what we really want.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah, just to be and to just know that you're
accepted unconditionally.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Well, I'm speaking with Hannah de Campos and Abigail Frenzies.
They are both executive director of Button Together, Inc. Again
that web address is Button Together charity dot org. Please
make a donation. We want this to grow and get bigger.
You can find out more about their events, maybe sponsor
it and maybe start getting some volunteer and see it
get bigger and bigger and bigger. Thank you both for
(12:03):
being here today, for sharing your story and for serving
the community.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Thank you so much.
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