Local Groups Work Together for Suicide Prevention

A Cruise-In for PTSD and Suicide Prevention is set for Sept. 26 at 4 Speed on 50s Diner

Carl Moore, president of Cody Farr PTSD/Suicide Awareness Assn, and service dog, Jett. Photo provided.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to remember that prevention does not appear in only one way. Sometimes it looks like a trained service dog standing beside a veteran. Sometimes it looks like a welcoming place where young adults in recovery can spend time with others who understand. Sometimes it looks like a vehicle wrapped with messages of hope, rolling into car shows and cruise-ins so conversations can begin.

Local efforts are connected by the same purpose: helping people to feel seen, supported and less alone.

The Cody Farr PTSD/Suicide Awareness Association was formed in 2020 and named for Cody Farr, a young Navy Operations Specialist from Rising Sun who returned home carrying the effects of PTSD. Cody loved animals, and after his death by suicide at age 20, that love became part of the mission created in his memory.

The nonprofit provides personalized assistance to veterans and first responders by helping pay for the expensive, specialized training of PTSD service dogs. Through Dog Training Elite in Cincinnati, the dogs are trained to build strong relationships and communication with their handlers. Never pet a service dog, they’re working.

Their support can help reduce depression, lessen the frequency and severity of flashbacks, anchor a person in the present and help minimize suicidal thoughts.

A Department of Veterans Affairs study found that participants paired with a service dog experienced reduced PTSD symptom severity and fewer suicidal behaviors and ideations.

Community support keeps that work moving. Recently, the Sunman American Legion hosted a dart tournament that raised $10,000 to help pay for two more dogs and their training for deserving veterans. Call (812) 593-9044 with inquiries.

In the past five years, the Cody Farr Association has placed fifteen dogs in homes, and the Legion plans to make the tournament an annual event supporting suicide prevention and PTSD awareness.

While the Cody Farr Association focuses on one-on-one support through trained service dogs, Madi’s House meets the same prevention goal in a different way: by giving young adults a hopeful place to belong.

Madi’s House in Cincinnati was inspired by Madison Raleigh, a young woman who struggled with mental illness and addiction. She longed for a place where she could be in a hopeful environment with other recovering young adults, to fill her time and find friends.

After her death by suicide, her parents, Steve and Julie Raleigh, founded a free, non-residential community center. Today, Madi’s House offers young adults battling addiction, mental illness and hopelessness a place to gather, take part in activities and move toward recovery with others. Call 513 - 347- MADI (6234)

Another local effort takes prevention on the road. Blaze of Hope IN began with local National Guardsman Nathen Metcalf and his daughter, who both knew the pain of losing people close to them to suicide.

Nathen had shared a love of Chevy Blazers with his friend who died, and rebuilding one became a way to work through grief. After his daughter lost a friend to suicide, the project grew into something larger: a moving message of remembrance, awareness and hope.

They planned to wrap the Blazer with suicide prevention messages and take it to cruise-ins and car shows to start conversations that might otherwise never happen. Kelsey Chevrolet in Lawrenceburg helped prepare the vehicle with body work, and The VViVid Shop worked with vendors to secure donated materials for the custom wrap.

Now Nathen and his daughter have appeared at many tristate events with Blaze of Hope IN, using the Blazer to raise awareness and encourage people to talk openly about suicide prevention.

Their next effort is a Cruise-In for PTSD and Suicide Prevention on September 26 at 5 p.m. at 4 Speed on 50s Diner in Lawrenceburg. The free event will include cars, the Blaze of Hope IN Blazer, three bands, raffles, food and time for conversations that can save lives. Contact Blaze Of Hope IN on Facebook.

Money raised will benefit the Cody Farr PTSD/Suicide Awareness Association and Madi’s House, bringing the local efforts together again. One provides service dogs. One provides a safe and hopeful place for young adults in recovery. One spreads awareness and raises funds. Together, they show that suicide prevention is not one action, but a community together choosing to notice, support and reach out with hope.