The Suicide Prevention Task Force has events planned for Sept. 17-18 to bring awareness and ongoing education to the community, said Holly Bowyer at The Center for Counseling and Consultation.

Pedal for Prevention/Riding in Remembrance of Devin 

The first Pedal for Prevention will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17, at the northwest entrance to Brit Spaugh Park by the BMX bike/skateboard park. Taskforce partners from the Great Bend Pilot Club will be on site to fit people for helmets as the “Riding in Remembrance of Devin” gets underway. Bicyclists will ride from Brit Spaugh Park to Veterans Memorial Park. The route will be marked and is 2.75 miles long, Bowyer said.

At the end of the ride, there will be a time of remembrance and s’mores will be provided.

Glow Walk/Run

Saturday, Sept. 18, is the date of the Suicide Prevention Task Force’s ninth annual Glow Run. This year’s event will be back at Veterans Memorial Park, starting at the west shelter area. Check-in starts at 6 p.m., followed by a Family and Friends Remembrance Ceremony at 7 p.m. The actual Glow Run is a 1-mile walk or 5K run that will commence near sunset.

Pre-registration is underway now for $25. Sign up online at www.ckpartnership.org/prevention or at www.thecentergb.org. Those who register by Tuesday, Aug. 31, will receive a T-shirt, glow accessories, snacks and a luminary to decorate and display in honor of a loved one. Those who register after Aug. 31 are not guaranteed to receive a T-shirt. Late registration will be accepted the day of the event at the rate of $30. Additional luminaries are available for $10.

The Zero Reasons Why yard signs from last year’s Glow Run will be on display for this year’s event. Zero Reasons Why is a community mobilization and story campaign to prevent teen suicide and drive productive conversation to affirm there are zero reasons why suicide is an option.

“Please join us this year for our upcoming events to remember those who have lost their lives to suicide and to prevent more suicides from occurring,” Bowyer said. “Together, we can spread the message that all lives matter.”

For more information about either event, contact Holly Bowyer at The Center for Counseling, 620-603-6934 or via email at hollyb@thecentergb.org.

Suicide Prevention Task Force

The Suicide Prevention Task Force was started in January of 2012 by a group of individuals concerned with the high rate of suicides in our community.  

The group first began meeting at the Barton County Health Department and invited members from The Center, as well as individuals from the community, hospitals, churches, schools, law enforcement and college, to come together to devise a plan to better educate people regarding depression and steps to prevent suicide.  

Eventually, the Task Force evolved into the Central Kansas Partnership Suicide Prevention Task Force. The Mission of the group is: To raise awareness of suicide prevention and to provide for community suicide prevention education.

Great Bend’s Pilot Club will be at Brit Spaugh Park at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17, to fit bike riders for helmets. Pilot Club member Vicki Richardson said the club has purchased helmets for children 3-12 years old and has also given helmets to adults who need one. Some of the helmets were provided by the Cottonwood Extension, which had helmets left over from its Family Fun Bicycle Ride event at the Barton County Fair in July.

“Pilot Club wants to make sure these (and any) helmets fit properly to protect heads from bicycle injury,” Richardson said. “We are known as ‘the Helmet People.’ It is an honor we take seriously and we enjoy teaching helmet and bicycle safety to children.”

Pilot Club received a matching helmet grant from Pilot International last year to purchase helmets for children. “We were seeing too many children riding their bikes without a helmet,” Richardson said. They fitted and presented 46 helmets to go with the bicycles given away at the Perfect Attendance Awards at local schools last May, and plan to do so again in 2022.

“We do not ask money for our helmets but if individuals would like to make a donation it helps us purchase more,” she said.

Learn more about the Pilot International Helmet Project online at https://www.pilotinternational.org/thehelmetpeople/.