EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes content related to suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988 or visiting the online chat at 988lifeline.org.

A nationwide mental health organization hosted its signature 5K event in Marion on Saturday. Community members and local organizations gathered together to raise awareness for suicide prevention. 

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“It’s an opportunity for all of us to show support, start conversations and break down the barriers; build systems, share resources and step up for every person who is impacted by suicide,” said Anne Tyree, Regional CEO of Centerstone. 

Centerstone is a nonprofit health system that offers mental health and substance use disorder services in five states. Its event, which was called “Life;Story,” took place at the Harry L. Crisp Sports Complex. 

During the opening ceremony, Tyree explained the name of the event to attendees. 

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“Life;Story includes a semicolon which is a punctuation mark, and it indicates ‘this is not the end; there’s more to come,’” Tyree said. “Like the semicolon in Life;Story, your participation reminds our community, there’s more to your life, and there’s more to your story. Your participation and support of this event not only brings awareness to our suicide prevention efforts but also helps provide mental health and addiction services at Centerstone for people who have very few resources in our communities.” 

While Life;Story has taken place in Florida for over 20 consecutive years, this is only the second time it has been held in Illinois. Aaron Seibert, the marketing and community relations manager of Centerstone, said the event was the result of many hard-working individuals.

“There’s a lot that goes into trying to organize an event like this, and it takes a lot of people that really come together to be able to do it,” Seibert said. “And it’s not just Centerstone employees that are doing it, but it’s a lot of other people that are coming together and being on our board and committees and stuff like that. But really, just as far as, you know, organizing this event, it just takes a lot of heart, a lot of caring and a lot of time.” 

Seibert said he was “super excited” about the event’s turnout. 

“Last year we had, I believe, 245 participants, and this year we are over 300 participants,” he said. “And then with all the vendors and everybody that came out, it’s just amazing to see everybody.” 

Vendors set up booths showcasing their organizations and services along the path to the start/finish line. 

Charlie Dorsey represented The Survivor Empowerment Center. Dorsey, who serves as Prevention Educator for the domestic violence shelter, said events like Life;Story are important for the community because “we all have to collaborate if we want to make the world a better place.” 

Dorsey also mentioned how suicide impacts different populations.

“We’re out here because we know the statistics show that survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence have higher numbers of suicide and suicidal ideation,” Dorsey said. “And that stretches more to marginalized communities and things like that, LGBTQ+, people of color, so we just want to show that we’re here to support and offer resources for connecting with other folks.” 

Alex Waller and Calvin Mennyweathers from the Rainbow Cafe provided information about the Carbondale-based LGBTQIA+ center and its services, including counseling and support groups. Its extension, Rainbow Community Health & Wellness, offers behavioral health services, HIV testing and massage therapy.

In regards to the work Rainbow Cafe does to prevent suicide, Waller said, “I think, with the LGBTQ community, the suicide rate is super high, so us just being present and having the space where people can come and…know that they’re welcome and have a safe space. And then we have resources that we can reach out to from there if people are having those thoughts.”

He also said events like Life;Story encourage conversations about mental health. 

“We all come together, it’s talked about, it’s not kept secret,” they said. “And then we can have resources available for folks and then people are more educated about suicide prevention.” 

Centerstone had a booth set up among the vendors with color-coded wristbands available for participants. The wristbands represented who individuals were running for. Purple stood for running for a friend; yellow for a sibling; light blue for a child; teal for a parent; and blue for yourself. 

Derek Wyatt and Josh Thompson, who completed the race together, shared who they were running in honor of. 

“My cousin [died by] suicide about two years ago, so this is a call that’s near and dear to me, so when I heard about it, I couldn’t wait to be here and run for my first 5K,” Wyatt said.

Thompson said, “I am here today and walking, or actually running, in honor of my uncle Terry and our cousin Dominique…It was an honor to be here and I look forward to being here next year.” 

SIU Alum M.J. Roberto ran the race with his girlfriend and his dog. 

“I was running with my girlfriend who suffers from depression, so it was a way that we can just run together, and we were allowed to bring the dog out, so I ran with the dog too,” he said. 

Adoptable dogs and cats were also brought to the event by Herrin Animal Control. Animal Control Officer Kevin Askew said clients from Centerstone come to the facility around three to five times a week to “work, do tasks and be around the animals.” 

“Some of these people completely turn around when they’re involved in that, and [it] brings them out of, you know, maybe a darker place that they may be in,” Askew said. 

At the conclusion of the race, the Life;Story Champion Award was presented. Tyree said that “each year, the community nominates someone to receive this award who has shown tremendous compassion and understanding of those experiencing mental illness.” 

Jenna Farmer-Brackett, Nikki Dugger, Laterriea Martin and Brittany Pinnon-Becker all received recognition for their nominations, but the award was presented to sixteen-year-old Jaycen McBride. 

After facing mental health struggles of his own, McBride used his experiences to increase mental health awareness at his school. He was nominated by a parent, who wrote a message that was read to attendees by Tyree. 

“He went to counseling, we talked a lot, and through this part of his journey, he was really open about his struggles with some of the kids at school, and he realized that he was not the only one struggling,” Tyree read off. 

The written piece revealed that he spoke with his school principal “about how the school needed to do something better to support student mental health.” 

His parent wrote, “I also talked with my boss about his struggles and his desire to help. She arranged a meeting for him with herself and one of her board members. With their help, he was given a platform, and they helped him hire a speaker to hold an assembly at his high school for approximately 1,100 students.”

Attendees were informed that at the assembly, McBride threw out t-shirts with the words “Stay; Tomorrow Needs You.” He also started a Snapchat page to offer encouragement to his peers and promote being open and honest about mental health. 

The written piece concluded with this: “He did help a few people to find their voices and ask for help. He has helped to teach that depression happens to anyone…And because of his honesty and openness, his life today is a testament to the story that does continue. Even on our darkest days, the sun will come up tomorrow, and you’ll get better.” 

Awards were also presented to the top finishers of the 5K race in various age categories. 

After McBride’s recognition, keynote speakers took the stage. Anna and Aaron Goletz, who have both worked for Centerstone’s Military Services, shared their story. 

Returning home from war often comes with psychological and emotional challenges. Centerstone offers free services to active military members and veterans – no matter their discharge status – as well as their families. 

Anna Goletz currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of the program. She said in their speech that “military family members can oftentimes feel like bomb diffusers.” 

“We find ourselves in the position of helping these brains rewire and trying to help while we’re sometimes really scared,” she said. “We’re scared of the nightmares. We’re scared of the anger outbursts. We’re scared that we’re going through one too many bottles of Jack Daniels, but scared most of all, that the person we love most in this world, might not come out of that dark hole, and might lose their fight and end their own life.” 

Aaron Goletz is a combat veteran who has worked as a case manager, counselor and researcher for Centerstone. He shared his own struggles with mental health and also said that in the time since they’ve been married, he has lost three people to suicide. 

“Two of them were soldiers…and even though she wasn’t a veteran or military, she did have battles to fight – my niece died in 2020,” he said. “I imagine, right at the end, they all must have felt…tired, hopeless and so alone…” 

He added: “I wish that there was an easy way to answer all of the questions, solve all of these riddles and problems, but it’s just not. I wish it was like flipping a switch or cutting the blue wire and magically, the bomb has refused. Unfortunately, that’s almost never the case. We’re 20 years into treating these invisible wounds, and the sad truth is that too many lives have been lost, not in some far away country, but right here at home. 

“I think that our biggest regret after they’re gone is that we can’t go back…and tell them, ‘I want to hear your story. Your story is worth telling, and I’m here to listen. You’re important. You matter. You may not fix it all today, but maybe we can reconnect at least one wire, and that’s worth sticking around for.’”

Centerstone also had a motto for the event. “Keep Moving Forward” was printed on the t-shirts included with registration. 

“We just want people to understand that if you have issues, you know, you’re having feelings of suicide, just keep going,” Seibert said. “And that’s really what the semicolon is about too, is [it] lets you know it’s not an end point. You still have more life to continue with.” 

He wanted to thank the city of Marion for allowing Centerstone to host the event, as well as “everybody who participated and all of our organizers and sponsors.” 

“It’s been a beautiful day,” he said. “We appreciate everybody that’s been out here. We’ll be hosting it again next year, here at Harry L. Crisp, so next year, come on out, join us, and have a great time.” 

Before the race, Tyree told participants that “Centerstone believes that even one suicide is too many.” 

“This is your life, and this is your story,” she said. 

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