Scrolling through mental health websites, junior David Artz noticed most organizations featured adults. To increase awareness for student mental health struggles, Artz decided to build an online platform for him and other teens to share their stories.
“I started StoryAidHelp in 2022, and I was at my grandma’s house,” said Artz. “I was sitting on the porch, and I was like, ‘Man, I have a hefty story,’ and so I want a way to tell it, but in an impactful way.”
Artz won the Extraordinary Teen award from the Jewish Child and Family Services in March 2025 for starting StoryAidHelp.
David Artz was born with a genetic condition that affects his skin, eyes and causes a lack of hair, David Artz’s mom, Nancy Artz said.
“You know what I’m most proud of?” said Nancy Artz. “It’s not the awards, it’s not the website. I am proud of him for that, but of the extraordinary young man that he is becoming. Especially because of where he came from, he has overcome a lot of obstacles: adoption, trauma, medical issues that the majority of us never deal with.”
According to David Artz, he was bullied throughout fourth grade, but can look back on the experience as something he lived through that helped shape who he is today.
“StoryAidHelp is a platform for people who have stories to tell, to share their stories,” said David Artz. “It’s a way for me to share my story, and a platform where I can give resources and motivational support to people who are struggling with mental health.”
NBC 5 News reached out to Artz in 2024 after receiving a press release on a Northwestern Medicine study he participated in that found 73 percent of people with skin conditions face bullying and mental health struggles, David Artz said.
Positive feedback following the NBC feature was motivation to continue sharing his experiences through storytelling, David Artz said.
Networking helped him grow his platform, David Artz said.
“I talked with … Tony Hoffman, [the founder of pH Wellness], and we had a really nice conversation about mental health, drug addictions and alcohol addiction,” David Artz said.
Although he is still involved with StoryAidHelp, David Artz started the “Call-Out Podcast” with sophomore Dylan Porthan in August 2025, which is released on Fridays from the Glenbrook North broadcasting studio.
The “Call-Out Podcast” is about calling people to come out and talk about what they’ve dealt with in their life, Porthan said.
While Porthan first met David Artz in kindergarten, they grew closer during a shared class this year and talked about making a podcast, Porthan said.
Porthan has learned from David Artz to just talk if you ever have a problem, Porthan said.
According to David Artz, “If you’re watching someone get bullied, you should go talk to them, you should tell a trusted adult, and if you don’t, you’re just letting it happen.”
“If I was able to help one person, that’d be my ultimate goal,” said David Artz. “And if I’ve done that, then StoryAidHelp did what it needed to do.”