Amherstburg's 'sign guy' brings joy to the streets and to social media

A man who has struggled with mental illness has been taking to the streets of Amherstburg to make other people's days brighter — and Jeremy Barton has become something of a social media phenomenon in the process. 

Barton can frequently be seen standing on the side of Sandwich Street South with signs that read "Have a great day" or "You are amazing." 

"I just started writing, you know, what people need to hear," he said. "Like, 'Have a good day,' 'Smile,' 'You're worth it,' 'You're amazing.'"

It all began around three weeks ago, when Barton was reading motivational posts on Facebook, he explained.

His mom encouraged him to get out and make some friends, and Barton joked that he'd just stand outside with a sign — something his mother encouraged. 

He said he learned a long time ago that "you do you."

"For a long time, when I was sick, I had forgotten who I was," he said.

"And slowly but surely, I started just getting better and better and just trying to be more out there and everything else. And yeah, like the sign itself, like this stuff I need to hear too, right?"

'Inspiring'

Two people who work in downtown Amherstburg told CBC they think Barton's initiative is wonderful.

Kim Rumble said she's never seen Barton in the flesh because she starts her workday before he typically appears and ends after he goes home, but she sees photos of him all over social media.

"He makes people smile," she said. "I think it's great."

Madison Ellul-Wheeler also works in the area and has never managed to spot Barton in person either, but she too has seen him on social media and describes him as "inspiring."

"It makes me feel good about it, honestly, just knowing that there's still some decent people out there," she said. 

"I do actually like seeing it come up in my feed."

Ellul-Wheeler said few people ever think to use their free time to help others. Most of the time, she said, she just scrolls on her phone. 

Yet the signs really do help people sometimes, she said. 

Barton believes people who have struggled with mental illness are some of the strongest people out there, he said. 

Now he's glad to know that his initiative is making other people happy. 

"From what I understand … they're smiling, it's making their day, makes them feel worth it., you know? They just enjoy seeing me out there," he said.

"Like, I don't know if they want me to do a little dance or anything, but we'll get there one day maybe."