Community support in Reno-Sparks lagging for teen suicide organization
RENO, Nev. (KRNV) — A Sparks mother started a non-profit group after her 14-year-old son took his own life two years ago. The community support was strong in the beginning. Now Kerri Countess says it's dropped off and some days it's been difficult to continue.
Caleb Stenvold just started his freshman year at Bishop Manogue High School in Reno. He was looking forward to playing football, working hard in his AP classes and hanging out with friends.
The day everything changed
On October 22, 2019, Caleb committed suicide.
"We were coming home and called Caleb to tell him to get his shoes on we’re going to the gym and that’s when my husband answered the phone and the rest was just this primal scream that I can’t even explain," Countess said.
Caleb was the youngest of five brothers. Matthew Stenvold said he lost a brother and a best friend that day.
"I think he looked up to me in the way that we did a lot of the same things and a lot of the stuff that I did and was pretty good at, I was good at math so he tried to be good at math and I was good at football and he join the football team and try to be good at that," he said. "He was equally great in the fact that someone as good as him looked up to me, it pushed me to strive to be better."
The change that followed
Countess started #Forever14. It pushes kids to connect to one another and also raises awareness to prevent teen suicide. In the beginning she corporations and local businesses backed her organization. They offered sponsorship money and others volunteered their time.
Now, recent events are waning and so is the community support.
"Forever14 marches on. It’s interesting, in the beginning rallied around and said “yeah we want to do this, this is a thing“ was really eye-opening and then the further you get away from it the more people fall off and get back into their old life routines but that didn’t happen for us, we don’t get to go back to the way things were before," Countess said.
In the two years, community sponsored events slowed. Local business partners stopped giving. Parents and Caleb's fellow students got busy with their lives.
"I wanted to quit this month. This is a tough month. I’m having a lot of doors closed in my face and in fact a lot of doors not being open. When we go to these corporations and local businesses for support and sponsorship. They’re just not there.," Countess said.
Recent support
Just last weekend the organization held the Great Race to end teen suicide. It's an event at Sky Tavern to promote community engagement, connection, and suicide awareness on the final day of National Suicide Prevention Week. Countess said the even restored her faith in her mission, but she was disappointed in the lack of sponsorship and community support.
Andelin Family Farms also this month is dedicating their corn maze to #Forever14. The crop was grown as the logo for the nonprofit.
"We thought it was important to bring awareness to the challenges that our teenagers have in our community and our country. Mental health with teens and adults is a huge issue.," said Caleb Andelin, one of the farm's owners.
Suicide free by 2023
Kerri Countess will continue to push Washoe County to be suicide free by 2023. That's the year Caleb would have graduated high school. She said she doesn't want another family to feel their pain and that's why she will continue #Forever14, with or without the community support.
"I hurts to to have that feeling of rejection or is that what I’m doing isn’t valued and important, enough for businesses to get behind."
Suicide prevention resources:
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Kids can also contact their school counselor for help.