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The moment he jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge, Kevin Hines regretted the decision to end his life.
He miraculously survived that fall in September of 2000 and has since then dedicated his life to preventing suicide.
Hines will be in Luverne Wednesday, Sept. 1, as part of the Luv1LuvAll Brain Health initiative to raise awareness of suicide in order to save lives.
“He’s a very good storyteller,” said Luverne school social worker Stacy Schepel. “He makes a hard topic easy to listen to.”
Schepel is working with a local team of educators, counselors and health care providers to generate conversations about mental health and suicide.
Hines, who was diagnosed at 17 with bipolar disorder, is now a brain health advocate and an award-winning filmmaker, best-selling author, international educator and speaker.
Schepel has heard him speak and is eager to bring him to Luverne.
“He shares his complete journey from start to finish,” she said. “He talks in detail about the decision he made to end his life, the moment he jumped and ends by emphasizing the importance of getting adequate sleep, healthy eating, self-care, therapy, and medication.”
Sanford Luverne integrated health therapist Angela Nolz said this practical message is helpful for anyone.
“I appreciate the practical parts of his message that include the impact of sleep hygiene, movement and routine on mental wellness,” said Nolz, also a Brain Health team member.
She added that improving mental health and preventing suicide also requires education.
She and Schepel are working with Luverne school counselor Amy Cook to reach young people early on to encourage them to seek help and to help others who are struggling.
“Using the analogy of a river, what can we do upstream for preventative work versus ‘We’re in a crisis; what do we do?’” Cook said.
“That’s where school comes in … to teach these interventions. We want to teach them things they don’t know they’ll need until they need it.”
While the CDC doesn’t track suicide at the local level, the Luv1LuvAll group generally understands that suicides in Luverne, Adrian and other nearby towns are becoming more frequent.
“Most everyone knows someone who died of suicide,” Nolz said. “And, because of the stigma, there are many we don’t know about. … There have been too many for these small communities. That’s too many for anywhere. The goal is zero.”
An alarming trend shows increasingly younger people are choosing to end their lives.
“Suicide and mental health doesn’t discriminate based on anything,” Schepel said. “So, we need to be brave and have a conversation, because the more we talk about it, the easier it will be to find solutions.”
Nolz agreed.
“A life saved is a life saved,” she said. “If we can save one life through a conversation, then goal met.”
While there are efforts afoot to implement suicide prevention curriculum in schools, Brain Health advocates say the Sept. 1 event will be a good start.
Sept. 1 event free and open to public at 7 p.m.
Hines will speak twice in Luverne on Sept. 1, with a session for school staff in the morning and an evening session for all ages
The community session will be at 7 p.m. in the school’s new performing arts center (the first event to be held in the new auditorium).
Children younger than 16 should attend with parents, and it shouldn’t be the first conversation about suicide in the family.
Juniors and seniors can attend without parents.
Bringing Hines to Luverne is part of a broader effort by the school and community to raise awareness of suicide in order to prevent it.
For example, the “Project 11” curriculum used in the Warroad School District is under consideration in Luverne and has local funding support.
“If you’re interested in being part of the movement, we need all people at the table,” Nolz said. “We want everyone from all areas of the community.”
People can message the Luv1LuvAll page if they’re interested in joining the conversation and strategic planning.
Sanford Health, Luverne Public School and Luv1LuvAll are sponsoring the Sept. 1 event with Hines.
‘Out of the Darkness’ walk coming Sept. 18
In addition to bringing Hines in to share his message, the Luv1LuvAll Brain Health group is organizing an “Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk” on Sept. 18 at the Luverne High School track.
Sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the purpose of the walks (in many communities nationwide) is to increase awareness in order to help save lives.
Nolz said she hopes to see local participation in the Sept. 18 walk in order to help the foundation raise money for prevention research and provide free community education and training.
“I am especially excited about their goal of decreasing suicide by 20 percent by 2025,” Nolz said.
She said the Luv1LuvAll Facebook page will share a link with registration information for the walk. Meanwhile, more information about Out of the Darkness walk can be found at afsp.org/luverne.