MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – The mother of a 18-year-old suicide victim is working hard to spread awareness as part of National Suicide Awareness Week with “You Matter Merritt Island Day” Saturday, according to a news release.
The event is a means to raise awareness and provide resources, with many Merritt Island schools having signed up to either host a drive-thru “hug station” or a free lemonade stand, the release states.
Local churches have also been invited to participate by providing free baked goods for anyone who stops by Saturday, according to the release.
[TRENDING: 8-foot alligator attacks 77-year-old woman in gated Florida community | 4-year-old dies in fall from Florida resort balcony | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
“I lost my 18-year-old son Hunter to suicide last September,” mother Kelly Haskins said. “If I can prevent just one family from experiencing the pain that my family is going through, then I’ll have achieved my goal.”
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S., with men dying from suicide nearly four times as often as women.
“I’ve come to realize that suicide is becoming a true epidemic, especially among men...” said Rochelle Anderson, who lost her son to suicide in October. “We need to listen and do something about it. We also need to break the stigma around men’s mental health and let them know it’s OK to talk about it.”
“You Matter Merritt Island Day” will also be encouraging the use of the recent 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides an easy-to-remember three-digit hotline for those considering suicide.
“I think there’s a whole lot of kids out there that are afraid to fail. They’ve never failed before, they don’t know what to do,” Haskins said. “Hunter wouldn’t talk. He wouldn’t talk, and so I didn’t really know what was going on. I wish I did. That’s why I think we need to get the kids to talk.”
Haskins said she hopes reminders of the resources available will encourage others to reach out for help.
“We’ve bought 5,000 of these stickers, and I want one on every single kid’s laptop... because when Hunter died, the last thing he saw was his laptop,” Haskins said. “He saw he failed a test, and if that would have been in his face, then maybe he would have reached out.”
According to the event’s Facebook page, the following locations will be participating in “You Matter Merritt Island Day.”
- Merritt Island High School: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. — High Fives
- Audubon Elementary School: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. — Lemonade
- Jefferson Middle School: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. — Lemonade
- Lewis Carroll Elementary School: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. — Lemonade
- Faith Lutheran Church: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. — Baked Goods and Goat Hugs
- First Christian Church of Cocoa Beach: 4 - 6 p.m. — Free Ice Cream
- Islander Alliance Church in Merritt Island: 9 - 11 a.m. — Hugs and Lemonade
- Papa Vito’s Italian Restaurant Cocoa Beach: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. — Free Lemonade
- Fitness Club in Merritt Island: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. — Free Smoothies
Businesses, schools and churches are invited to contact organizers at (321) 794-6485 or islandksh6819@yahoo.com to sign up to participate.
For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page here.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: