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Rise Against Suicide hosts virtual 5K for youth suicide prevention

Daily Camera - 5/2/2021

May 1—Rise Against Suicide is hosting its second virtual 5K on Sunday amid an increase in referrals for Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley students in need of mental help support.

The organization, formerly Second Wind Fund of Boulder County, connects uninsured and underinsured students at risk of suicide with free counseling. Within hours of receiving a request for help, students can be connected with private, highly qualified therapists. Most work with students through telehealth appointments.

"I've been fielding so many phone calls from parents and counselors," said Rise Against Suicide Executive Director Jenna Clinchard. "The kids are struggling on a different level."

For Sunday's virtual 5K, participants are invited to post pictures throughout the day of how they completed the event, as well as to participate in several contests. Donors Laura and Andy Lee are matching donations for the race up to $10,000.

At last year's event, also held virtually, about 600 people from eight countries and 27 states took part. Along with a more traditional run or walk, people biked, played soccer and used other physical activities to complete the 5K.

"Our organization is all about being together and not being alone and separated," Clinchard said. "In person, we all come out and celebrate and really support one another. This year, we're trying to do that virtually."

Registration for Sunday's Emerge 5K is available at riseagainstsuicide.org.

Clinchard said fundraising is especially important this year to meet the increased need for services. Even before the pandemic created a youth mental health crisis, suicide was the leading cause of death for young people ages 10 through 17 in Colorado. In just 14 days after spring break, Rise Against Suicide received 25 referrals for Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley students at risk of suicide.

"It clearly reflects the engagement of the high schoolers and middle schoolers back in person," Clinchard said. "There's a place they can take all that anxiety from the pandemic and go speak to someone about it."

Tammy Lawrence, Boulder's Valley's east network student services director, said the district is seeing more requests for mental health services since school returned to four days a week of in-person classes for secondary students after spring break — and after the March 22 mass shooting at the south Boulder King Soopers.

"Everyone is working extra-hard to support students who need mental help support," she said. "We're in a better space than we were, but we're still in a pandemic. Our providers, including Rise Against Suicide, are really rising to meet that need."

Mary Campbell, a counselor at Peak to Peak Charter School and Rise Against Suicide board member, said the pandemic has highlighted the challenges around accessing mental health services, which include a lack of qualified professionals and often a monthslong waitlist to for young people to be seen.

The 5K, she said, raises awareness both about Rise Against Suicide's services connecting young people and the overall importance of mental health.

"It's continuing to open doors for conversations," she said. "We need to have those really hard conversations about how people are really doing. By having those conversations early, we can intervene before there's a crisis. We're telling the people in our life we're not afraid to talk about suicide. We're not afraid to talk about mental health."

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