This year, the t-shirts, free to , are printed with four tread marks, inked, of course, with each school’s colors.

“It’s a symbol of all four schools united together,” said Suzanne Hostetler, who mentors 91����Ƶ students in her positions with and and is a member of the Walk for Hope planning committee. “The 91����Ƶ counseling center is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside of JMU, Bridgewater College, and Blue Ridge Community College to raise awareness about depression and suicide prevention. We see this day as a valuable event for students, faculty, staff and community members to come together in unity and to experience hope.”

The walk and all afternoon activities are free and open to the public. People whose lives have been affected by mental illness, either personally or through friends and family, are especially encouraged to attend.

Participants will gather at 11:15 a.m. at Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, with the walk to Bridgewater College commencing at 11:30 a.m. The main event music, speakers, refreshments, and creative arts activities, which includes music, speakers, refreshments, and community arts projects starts at 12:30 p.m. in Nininger Hall. Children’s activities include face painting, hula hooping, and a special art area.

Comedian Kevin Breel, a writer and activist for student mental health, will be the speaker. The 21-year-old Canadian has toured frequently on behalf of Active Minds, a national student organization that works on peer levels to change the perception about mental health. His talk “” was featured on TEDxKids.

As in past years, participants can create remembrance art, adding squares to the “Symbols of Hope” quilt or creating “Hope in a Bag,” personal bags “to hold symbols of hope to remember for yourself or share with others,” she said, adding that participatory art projects have always been an important part of the event.

Since it began in 2012, Walk for Hope has increased in size each year. Last year’s event, hosted at 91����Ƶ, drew between 600 and 700 participants.

That growth may come as the result of a tragic fact: Most college students know someone who has suffered from depression or anxiety, contemplated suicide or died by suicide. The second leading cause of death among college students is suicide, according to a 2012 study by the . reports that depression and anxiety are more common among college students than back pain, sinus ailments, and allergies.

The event is sponsored by , which also funds an innovative mentoring program at 91����Ƶ called CoachLink. The program began after Austin Frazier, a junior at James Madison University, died in 2009 after a long battle with bipolar disorder.

By Kate Elizabeth Queram, Daily News-Record

When he sat down to write his son Austin’s obituary last fall, Bibb Frazier was faced with a choice.

He could be purposely vague about how the 22-year-old died, or he could say, straightforwardly, that it was suicide, caused by his son’s battle with bipolar disorder.

“And I chose, in this case, to do something to make people think about a very real problem,” said Frazier, of Harrisonburg. “This is a situation where it’s best just to be honest and try to save some lives in the future.”

Austin Frazier Memorial Fund

Austin Frazier

To accomplish that goal, Frazier established the , where people could send monetary gifts in lieu of flowers. Immediately, he said, they began to pour in.

“There were well over 100 gifts made, and they’re still coming in,” he said. “And about a quarter of them are from strangers.”

This fall, that donated money – with additional funds from Frazier himself – will help launch a program at 91����Ƶ designed to make the transition to college life easier for students suffering from mood disorders, such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder.

‘CoachLink’ connects the dots

Called “CoachLink,” the program will pair undergraduates with “coaches” – second-year graduate students enrolled in 91����Ƶ’s master of counseling program.

<!––> Participation in the program is voluntary, and the request for assistance can come from the undergraduates themselves, their parents or faculty members, according to Pam Comer, director of counseling services at 91����Ƶ.

The graduate students – who will receive credit for their participation – will serve as mentors, campus liaisons and friends, Comer said.

‘A listening ear’

Pam Comer, director of counseling services at 91����Ƶ

“Coaches will determine case by case what each individual undergraduate needs,” she said. “They’ll connect them on campus, be a go-to, be a listening ear.”

Frazier said he chose 91����Ƶ after the Mennonite community reached out to his family following Austin’s death. The campus’ size, he added, is ideally suited to the program.

“Being such a small school, I think it’s a particularly good nurturing environment for it to be tested and tweaked and monitored,” he said.

Program begins with four coaches

Currently, the program has four coaches, with the potential to expand depending on the demand from undergraduates.

Comer said she knows of at least two incoming students who have expressed interest in using CoachLink, but that the need for the program is much more widespread.

“Twenty-five percent of any college campus usually has some kind of pre-existing issue with depression or anxiety,” she said.

“91����Ƶ half of them could really be helped by a personalized layer of attention.”

Importance of ‘reaching out for help’

The hope, according to Frazier, is to encourage students to reach out for help in time to prevent them from feeling disconnected, withdrawing from school or ultimately succumbing to their disorders.

Frazier said he felt that if Austin – a junior at James Madison University when he died – had access to a program like CoachLink, his outcome could have been different.

“It’s an unmet public health need, transitioning these kids … into the freshman dorms, because once they leave their home, it’s sink or swim, baby,” he said.

“You’re on your own. You have to ask for any help, and sometimes for these students, that’s the hard thing.”

Future plans for CoachLink

The program is funded for three school years, according to Frazier, and the results will be tracked to determine if it can be expanded to other campuses. But even if it stays, successfully, at 91����Ƶ, he’ll be happy.

“My first and number one hope is that it saves lives,” he said. “If we can just save a couple families from having to go through what we did, that’s enough.”

More info

For more information on CoachLink, contact Pam Comer at 540-432-4314 or email coachlink@emu.edu. If you or someone you know has concerns about suicide, she advises calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

• CoachLink at 91����Ƶ
• 91����Ƶ Counseling Services