Max’s Mission provides support, education, and resources to those affected by suicide loss, while fostering a strong community of suicide survivorship where individuals can find hope, healing, and connection in their grief journey.
Helping survivors of suicide loss
They have several key initiatives that help survivors of suicide loss in the community and beyond.
Card program – This ongoing program sends cards to bereaved families on their loved one’s loss day and birthday. Because, as more time goes on and others forget, Max’s Mission is committed to remembering and honoring the lives lost to suicide and making sure that nobody is forgotten.
Say Their Name – This ongoing project features a life lost to suicide each day during May (Mental Health Awareness Month) and September (Suicide Prevention Month). By sharing stories and memories, survivors of suicide loss shift the focus from how their loved one died to celebrating how they lived, and in this process, they are lessening the stigma around suicide.
Baskets of Hope – Launched in September 2023, this program connects families with resources and support early in their loss journey. Each basket contains items specifically curated to support those who have lost a loved one to suicide. In the baskets is a comprehensive resource guide that has local therapists, support groups, online resources, podcasts, Facebook groups, grief retreats, and camps – all specific to suicide loss. They also include a checklist for family and friends who want to help but may not know what is needed.
Monthly Suicide Loss Support Group – Held on the second Tuesday of each month in Naperville from 6:30-8:00 pm. This group is for anyone aged 18+ who has lost a loved one to suicide. This is a peer-led support group and is offered to provide connection, community, resources, and hope.
Rocks of Hope – Rocks that Jill Wijangco has hand-painted with a design on one side and an inspirational message and Max’s Mission website on the other are placed all over the world by Jill and others on their travels. People who have found these rocks have reached out to Jill through her website to let her know that these rocks and their message have provided hope for them. They have had people reach out from as far as Iceland, Ireland, and Hawaii who have found rocks.
Afterglow murals for hope and healing
Their biggest achievement of 2025 was the Afterglow murals by artist Peter Thaddeus, who donated by Max’s Mission to add beauty to the park and serve as a message of hope, healing, and connection for those struggling with mental health or a loss by suicide. These four murals are located near Centennial Beach and the Rothermel Family Skate Facility in downtown Naperville. This project was made possible through a partnership with the Naperville Park District, the JCS Arts, Health and Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation, the City of Naperville SECA Grant Fund, the Naperville Township 708 Mental Health Board, and M/M Peters Construction, Inc.
These four murals all have unique art with messages that can mean many different things to people, depending on what they see. The four murals are titled 988, Next Chapter, Ride the Wave, and Community.
The location of the murals, as well as most of the art on the murals, was inspired by Max Wijangco’s life and his love of skateboarding and the outdoors.
The title Afterglow is a reminder that no life ends without leaving light behind. Afterglow honors that lasting radiance and acknowledges that while grief changes us, it also connects us.
Max’s Mission also hosts events like yoga, art therapy, and author Zooms
There is also a yearly Rail Jam held every winter at Four Lakes in Lisle and hosted by the young men who knew Max and snowboarded with him at Four Lakes. This event honors the life of Max Wijangco and draws people from all over the Chicagoland area and beyond to participate in an afternoon of competition, prizes, and camaraderie. The young men who host this event donate all the proceeds to Max’s Mission.
Max’s Mission will be hosting a butterfly release for suicide loss survivors on Saturday, June 13th, at Peg Bond Park in Batavia from 10:30 a.m. to noon. This event will have a guest speaker, rock painting, a time set aside for everyone to say their loved ones’ names out loud, and the butterfly release at the end.
There is also an upcoming biking fundraiser for six local nonprofits, with Max’s Mission being one of them. This is an amazing opportunity to give back to the nonprofits in the community that do so much to help others.
Spotlight Guests: Jill Wijangco, Executive Director of Max’s Mission, and Peggy Motta, Project Manager for the Naperville Park District
