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The loss of a family member can feel like the world is ending and crumbling around you.
“I lost my brother to suicide in October 2020,” Lacey Rosenlof said, “and when that happened, I just found myself like really wondering, and I felt like there weren’t a lot of resources here… I found myself just wanting to change it obviously.”
After such a loss, some people retreat from the people around them. Others chose to overcome it and rebuild their lives to help others facing the same challenges.
Rosenlof did exactly that when she raised money for NS to bring support for students. Her advocacy opened the door for NS to pursue more resources for students.
In 2022, NS School District received the Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education Grant (Project AWARE), which awarded money to support students’ mental health and resources. The grant gave money to schools to bring on more school counselors, the wellness center at NS and more in-depth student presentations on suicide prevention.
The support team at NS now includes social workers, a school psychiatrist and even a licensed therapist. This entire team has the common goal of protecting and supporting students through everything.
“Our goal is 100 percent student contact,” social worker and Project AWARE Coordinator Lindsay Beesley said. “There’s a limited number of us, so that makes our job really big. But we want to know, we want each student in all of our schools, in the district, to feel a sense of connection by one of us somewhere.”
The presentations so far have been given by Rosenlof, volunteer speaker who has experience with grief counseling through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention after a personal loss to suicide.
Additionally to speaking to students, Rosenlof also began an annual softball tournament to raise money for the community.
“My nonprofit now is called Play to Stay,” Rosenlof said, “and we hold the tournament every year and through that nonprofit, [the money has] just gone to education and different things like that.”
It was through her education and experience, as well as a personal friendship with Beesley, that Rosenlof was invited to share her message with NS.
“I’m honestly so honored and grateful for that opportunity,” Rosenlof said. “That’s kind of how it all kind of came full circle. I just volunteer my time and then I try to make it fun. It’s such a hard topic to make fun, but I try to just engage as much as I can.”
The focus of the presentations is to help students have the confidence to reach out and be a friend to their peers. The goal has spread beyond the presentations to the student body.
“As a student government as a whole,” student body president Brandt Lund said, “we always try to make people feel seen and do the best we can to ensure that everyone feels welcome.”
The presentations and Project AWARE training make it a priority to connect students with each other and with staff to create a supportive environment.
“It’s just my hope and it might be a pipe dream,” Rosenlof said, “but I hope that people, kids, students know that they are never alone. If I could ingrain one thing into all of their brains, I would let them know, ‘You are never, ever alone.’”
At NS, there are resources available to all students to reach out. Online resources include SafeUT and the 988 hotline, both having 24/7 professional counselors available. While at school, students can reach out to any staff member and are always welcome in the wellness center.
“It’s such an important tool for the students to know where to turn,” Beesley said. “We just want to give them all the tools that they will need to be okay to make sure people around them are okay.”
The most important thing for students to know at NS is that there are always resources available.
“Don’t be afraid,” Lund said. ”Don’t let the world get in your way of connecting to others and being that person that is willing to connect.”
Play to Stay is offering a chance to learn by hosting a Night of Hope on May 2 at 7:30 P.M. in the Mount Pleasant City Park. The night will include a candle lighting ceremony, a sign unveiling and a hope walk in support of those who have lost someone to suicide and anyone struggling with mental illness.
