September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and Beacon for Hope Suicide Prevention is in the middle of an active period towards that goal.
Already with a good turnout for the Kansas Sidewinders Motorcycle Club’s Ride for Life Poker Run and the Corky’s Cupboard Car Show at the end of August, Beacon has totally reset its community event schedule for this month. In recent years, Beacon has held its Hope Links Us Together Suicide Prevention Walk, Rage Against the Stigma men’s mental wellness event and Mad! Sad! Glad! children’s mental wellness event separately. Now they are part of one big event, You Matter Fest, according to Beacon Executive Director Melissa Owen. She says the trigger point was Rage Against the Stigma.
Activities will be September 26 at the Lyon County Fairgrounds Bowyer Community Building. The activity list includes food trucks. a bake sale, representatives of local organizations and vendors, a photo booth, lived-experience speakers, a car show, a scavenger hunt and more. Owen says the amount of organizations and vendors on hand signals the widespread buy-in to help people at risk of suicide.
While it’s not held in September, the 5th annual Hope With Horsepower Car Show is bringing car enthusiasts to the Bowyer Building on October 5. Pre-registration is $20 and $25 on the day of the show. People can bring additional vehicles at $10 per vehicle. There will be booth vendors, door prizes and raffles along with trophies. All proceeds go towards Beacon’s efforts to help veterans avert suicide.
In the meantime, Beacon for Hope has started Ignite Hope, a fundraising campaign to help offset printing costs — Beacon’s biggest expense every year — and other immediate needs. Residents can go to the beacon office, 1225 West 6th, as well as Gravel City Roasters and the Lyon County State Bank Merchant Street branch, to donate in person. Residents can also donate by going online to hopelinks.org or by using PayPal or Venmo.
