VERSAILLES, Ky. (LEX 18) — The month of September is National Suicide Prevention Month.
This weekend, hundreds will gather in Versailles for the Brothers' Run 3k Run/Walk, set to take place at 9 a.m. at Falling Springs Center. The Brothers' Run Foundation was created in 2019 after a local mom experienced unimaginable grief.
She is now turning her pain into purpose, with the goal to help others.
The nonprofit raises funding for suicide prevention efforts within schools and communities.
"I had two sons that died by suicide. Mason died in 2015 when he was 19 and Ethan died in 2017 when he was 18, a senior in HS," said Race Director Angela Wiese.
In 2021, Angela's family was shaken yet again, after her 13-year-old niece, Myra, died by suicide.
"Getting out and talking about it and helping others, has helped me and that is one reason why I continue to do the race," Wiese said.
Laura Baker lost her brother to suicide in 2011. She has now become a volunteer for the run.
"Being a survivor of suicide is a grief that you just don't understand or know until you have experienced it yourself," said Laura. "Being in a group of people that understand that and have been through it and have come out the other side and have been able to turn it into something really important and significant in a positive way, was eye opening almost."
So far, the foundation has raised $160,000. A portion of those funds started the student led program, Sources of Strength, which has now been implemented in dozens of schools.
"The goal of sources of strength is to get a number of students from the population in different peer groups so we are really representing a majority of the population of our students and then we focus on different positive campaigns," said Emily Earlywine, Guidance Counselor at West Jessamine High School.
Some schools are even putting their differences aside to show their support for the foundation.
"We individually signed up as an East team and a West team and we would get to the run an see each other there and then as the years went on, we decided to come together and do a Jessamine United Team," said Betsy Montgomery, Guidance Counselor at East Jessamine Middle School.
Each person crossing the finish line has their own story, but Angela hopes their pain can be turned into purpose.
"In the future I hope to achieve that suicide is something we can talk about, anytime, everyday, to anybody."
If you would like to sign up for the race, just visit https://www.brothersrun.com/3k-run-walk.
It will take place at Falling Springs Center at 9 a.m.
