“You are never alone.”
That is the message Hillsdale College athletes sent running through social media last week. The Charger Athletics Program is partnering with the Jason Foundation — an advocacy group dedicated to preventing teen suicide — to spread awareness on Hillsdale’s campus and show support for those affected by teen suicides.
Pictures of Hillsdale athletes posing with posters emblazoned with “#WeWontBeSilent” have popped up on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
The social media campaign originated with Hillsdale’s head athletic trainer Lynne Neukom, whose nephew took his own life earlier this year. Neukom said she knows suicide prevention has always been an important topic, and now it’s personal.
“Don’t remain silent. You can’t be afraid to ask,” Neukom said. “If we’re not afraid to talk, and if people know it’s okay to talk about their feelings and what their frustrations are, then.”
Especially in a collegiate seting, Neukom said suicide awareness is important.
“Students have to balance school, all of your academics, and when you balance school, the academics, the relationships, the extracurricular activities, with a sport, there’s a lot of pressure, and sometimes finding that balance is key, but finding someone to talk to is equally as important.”
Senior Dana Grace Buck, captain of the women’s tennis team, said she understands the importance of spreading awareness about teen suicide.
“This movement is so important to put a stop to any and all stigma there may be around this topic. There should never be shame in needing help in any way,” Buck said.
Neukom’s loss is not a singular case. This year alone, three other suicides have affected members of the Charger athletics community: a friend of a football player, a relative of the strength coach, and a parish member of football team chaplain Father Duane Beauchamp.
“You don’t have to look very far until it’s affected somebody,” head football coach Keith Otterbein said.
Since the tragic suicide of freshman football player Adam Emery in 2005, Otterbein and the football staff have been committed to their partnership with the Jason Foundation. More than 10 years later, Otterbein still feels the weight of Emery’s absence.
“There’s a game-day ritual where I walk from my office up to pre-game meal on campus. After Adam’s passing, we planted a tree there, and so for the last 10 years I walk by that tree, and I think of that family, and I think of their daily lives without Adam. And how every day they’re touched by that,” Otterbein said.
The Charger athletes believe that even in loss there is still hope, that’s why the teams took to social media to spread the message.
On Sept. 13, Tiffin University contacted Neukom with the news that they would be joining Hillsdale College in the #WeWontBeSilent campaign after one of their administrators saw a student tweet.
Junior football captain Jay Rose said this campaign has allowed Hillsdale’s athletes to show support for Neukom and her family while serving a larger cause as well.
“The more we can spread the word, there is a greater chance that suicides will be prevented,” Rose said.