September 24, 2008, Lakewood, CO ~ What has become the largest event of its kind raising teen suicide counseling funds happens in Jeffco’s back yard. It is the culmination of a week’s worth of events to not only raise money, but to raises awareness for teen suicide prevention. The 7th Annual Second Wind Walk/Run/Ride took place on Sunday, September 21, 2008 and started at Green Mountain High School. After winding through the neighborhood, the course ended at Green Mountain Presbyterian Church. The 2800 participants and volunteers raised over $179,000.
Speakers at this year's event included our emcee, former Miss Colorado and media personality Shellene Cockrell; Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy; Colorado Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff; and Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Cindy Stevenson.
Nina Storey was on hand to entertain and gave a concert that gathered rave reviews from the crowd. Businesses from all over the community supplied race prizes and enough food, so that no one went away hungry. Click here for more photos of the event.
Second Wind’s Success
“The most exciting news that we’ve had, is that the youth suicide rate is down wherever we've served a lot of kids,” said Jeff Lamontagne, Executive Director of Second Wind. “When we started this program six years ago, we did so intending to help a handful of youth struggling with suicidal ideation over the short term. Little did we realize that one day, we'd harness a community's collective energy to do something about this issue and actually be able to reduce the overall youth suicide rate. The support has helped us realize this seemingly impossible dream.”
According to statistics, since the Second Wind Fund began serving over 100 youth per year in both Jefferson County (2005) and Adams County (2006), the youth suicide rate has dropped markedly. Success is attributed to immediate care, frequent sessions, and up to 20 visits. The result can be the difference between life and death for a youth contemplating suicide.
For additional information contact: Anton Delgado
303-982-2212 www.jeffersonfoundation.org