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Promoting mental health not for chickens

Daily Gazette (Sterling, IL) - 7/30/2016

July 30--That wacky Chicken Car has done it again, but not without a lot of effort, TLC, and flat-out guts from its handlers.

The unmistakable rooster-headed and -tailed Ford Mustang will roll into downtown Dixon on Sunday for the 36th and final event of the Mental Illness Awareness Tour, a 75-day journey that's brought light to the touchy subject in all 48 continental United States.

"I used to feel like I was alone, and that I was the only one dealing with these struggles," 23-year-old Dixon native Patrick Taylor said during a Skype interview Tuesday. He bought the Chicken Car for $500 from BBY Chicken in 2010. "After traveling 48 states and connecting with so many people, I don't feel alone anymore. There's definitely a mental illness community, and I'm happy to be part of it."

Taylor recently graduated from the University of Illinois with a financing degree with an emphasis in real estate. He and fellow resident assistants Nate Perez and Alexander Vassiliadis all shared their struggles with mental illness during the MIA Tour.

Backed by the state chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness, they did due diligence before even hitting the road -- calling other states' chapters and organizing events along their route.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... a chicken car

Perhaps the best interactions were impromptu. After hauling the Chicken Car from state to state behind a Penske truck, they'd unharness it, ride into town, park in a busy area and wait.

It never took long.

"We had about 1,000 conversations every time we stopped for gas or for lunch, because of the Chicken Car," Taylor said. "Typically, when people have causes, they stand on the sidewalk and hand out fliers, or approach people. We just parked on the side of the street and people came up to us and wanted to know what we were doing. The Chicken Car really helped us bring attention to our cause, and helped us have those conversations with unsuspecting people.

"It's a fun-loving way to segue into an important cause."

Beyond connecting with people and spreading the gospel to #BreakTheStigma of mental illness, the trio savored local fare wherever they went.

"I think my favorite was probably down in Louisiana," Taylor said. "I really enjoy jambalaya. We had fresh oysters, which ... I didn't really enjoy that much. I don't fully understand the buzz around oysters. It was interesting trying it, though."

He enjoyed New York City and Los Angeles as much as a small-town kid can.

"Being from Dixon, that's not really my preferred environment," he said.

Breathtaking outdoor sites such as the mountains in Vermont and Glacier National Park in Montana were much better for the soul, he said.

Support back home

Like any 2.5-month road trip, the journey wasn't without its low points. The first week was especially rough -- the massive amount of work that lay ahead caught them off guard. Then the Chicken Car broke down in Washington, District of Columbia, right before an event that no one showed up for, because no one returned their calls in time to help promote the stop.

"That was one of our worst days," he said. "We had an event with no people. No Chicken Car. No motivation, really."

That's where home base came through. Four young women back on campus -- Rebecca Scott, Abigael Friling, Maya Walker, and Haylee Weakly -- sent their heroes off with many time-killing games and activities, including a jar full of slips posing what-would-you-rather-do propositions.

The ladies also sent along notes for different junctures. One of them was for their worst day. They read it that night in D.C.

"They were there in spirit and helped bring up the morale on the trip," Taylor said.

Looking back ... and forward

While at school at U of I, the Chicken Car was repeatedly vandalized. It lost its eyes and its tail. A weaker man would have flown the coop.

"It would have been so easy to just take it to the junkyard, dispose of it and get a normal car that could get me from Point A to Point B," Taylor said. "I look back and I'm extremely grateful that I didn't. The amount of opportunity that car's given me is profound. I don't think I'd be the same person without it.

"I've interacted with so many people I otherwise wouldn't have, and every conversation, you learn something new."

He learned a lot of folks have it worse than him, even though he tried to hang himself during his senior year of high school. You can hear the whole tear-jerking story in Day 31 of the group's YouTube vlog.

The trip was cathartic. It was tough. It was a massive success that has the trio thinking longer term. Perez is a chemical engineer whose problem-solving skills often come in handy, Alex is media-savvy, and all three guys are entrepreneurial-minded. They came home with stacks of business cards, and Taylor said once he sleeps off the exhaustion, it will be time to start thinking about what's next.

"It's really ambiguous," he said. "I don't really know at this point. I'm probably going to spend the first few days after the road trip sleeping. Once I've regained my strength, I'll get out the sketch board."

One thing he's sure of:

"I really don't want to get a job. It's not interesting to me," he said. "We're talking about exploring the mental health industry and perhaps doing something in that realm. I think this project could be a lot bigger than this summer road trip. At the very least, it's going to be an annual event. We might take a supervisory role and hire interns to do it."

Emblazoned on Chicken Car's driver's side door is a prophetic graphic that reads "Soon to Be Famous." Another mission accomplished. So, what's next for the officially famous, eccentric automobile?

"It's probably good to include for the next year or 2," Taylor said. "Maybe we'll stumble across something more bizarre, or maybe the Chicken Car will get old. It's what worked. For now, I'd envision staying with it. It's quirky enough, and if you have the right people traveling with it, you can make something of it."

WELCOME HOME

The Chicken Car and its three handlers, including Patrick Taylor of Dixon, will return Sunday from the Mental Illness Awareness Tour, a 75-day road trip that will have covered all 48 continental states.

You can meet them at 1 p.m. at South Hennepin Avenue and West River Street in Dixon.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit miatour.wix.com/miatour2016 or search for Mental Illness Awareness Tour to learn more about the trip, and follow the gang on Twitter (@ChickenCar1) and Instagram (@miatour2016).

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(c)2016 the Daily Gazette (Sterling, Ill.)

Visit the Daily Gazette (Sterling, Ill.) at www.saukvalley.com

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