September 15, 2024 Meridian, Idaho “I don’t know what we can do, but I want to do something.” Those were the words spoken by Robyn Warner as she sat across the table from Gr8ter founder, Kylee Wiscombe, a year and a half ago. Robyn lost her 17-year-old son, Colten Boyd, to suicide, and after his death, she understandably felt helpless, as the loved ones left behind often do. She wanted to ensure no mother ever felt the utter despair and sadness she still found herself facing, but she didn’t even know where to start. Unbeknownst to Robyn, the timing of that meeting was serendipitous, as Gr8ter had not yet solidified its plans to use the 2023 Top of Tamarack race proceeds. Although Kylee echoed Robyn’s sentiment and she knew something needed to change, she, like Robyn, wasn’t certain as to how best to help. After that meeting with Robyn, the path became clear. “It just felt right that our proceeds each year would be dedicated to youth suicide prevention when the local schools in that area had suffered big losses,” Kylee said. 

Robyn’s story made Kylee realize that their hearts were aching to help with the same thing: preventing youth suicide. With that knowledge, she put the proceeds from last year’s Top of Tamarack event to immediate use to fund a comprehensive suicide prevention curriculum for the Council School District where Robyn is a teacher. The program will be implemented at Council High School to expose all of their high school students to training and education that aims to prevent teen suicide. 

When Robyn’s son completed suicide, he was on the cusp of adulthood and was figuring out where he was headed and what he wanted out of life. When graduation time arose, his peers, looking for a way to honor him in the middle of their grief, asked the previous administration if they could leave an empty chair at graduation for Colten, the chair he would have occupied if he was still alive. That request was denied. There is often a misunderstanding about suicide, one that paints it as a contagious disease that, if talked about or openly acknowledged, would immediately spread. So the response from many is to hide it, and pretend it didn’t happen. The damage behavior like that does is vast. Thankfully Council School district now has a new administration team that is supportive of suicide prevention and mental health awareness efforts. Working to acknowledge it in a healthy manner and provide tools to not only deal with the grief associated with it but also the emotions that lead to suicide is the exact thing the newly purchased curriculum does.

Kylee knew that simply buying the curriculum would not solve the problem, so some of the funds will be utilized to provide training for staff, education for parents, and an overall promise to walk beside a community as they better learn to navigate suicide prevention. When it comes to preventing youth suicide, that “It takes a village,” saying absolutely rings true. So Gr8ter’s goal is to use the proceeds from each year’s Top of Tamarack event going forward to build metaphorical villages. The funds raised will initially go to purchase curriculum programs if schools lack them, and then will continue to be dispersed to offer well-rounded suicide prevention support.  Th

at support was buoyed up by the surprise and much-welcomed donation of $10,000 from The Ann & Frank Cahouet Foundation. The foundation’s generous donation was geared toward supporting that same teen suicide prevention goal. Those additional funds, paired with the 2024 Top of Tamarack race proceeds will guarantee new curriculum and support is pledged to Adams County and Valley County schools.  

When Colten’s friends pushed toward an empty seat at graduation and were denied, the sting reverberated through their community. But that sting fueled change. Going forward, with these suicide prevention and awareness curriculums and education opportunities reaching many local high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools, the goal is to move toward no empty seats. There will not be a battle with admin about whether an empty seat will be allowed at graduation, because the hope is, that there won’t be a single empty seat. 

If you are looking to help support this cause, please consider trekking up the mountain with us at Top of Tamarack on September 28th, in Tamarack, Idaho. Top of Tamarack is a mental health awareness and suicide prevention event where you can prove you’re “mentally strong”, all for a good cause! Top of Tamarack is a race that celebrates those who are battling mental health challenges on their way to mental health recovery and who are still here with us today. It is a race that brings together athletes of all levels and gives them a purpose for moving forward.  It is also a race that honors those who have lost their lives to suicide and mental health struggles.Registration and more information at TopofTamarack.com. If you are interested in supporting or donating reach out to us at information@gr8ter.org.  

Gr8ter, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that helps empower people to overcome mental health struggles. Any additional media coverage requests can be sent to our founder, Kylee Wiscombe at Kylee@gr8ter.org.