Westerville North alumnus Kevin Ford running for hope, suicide prevention
By Marla K. Kuhlman • Oct. 7, 2021
“There is always hope.”
That’s the message Kevin Ford, a 2011 Westerville North High school alumnus, wants to convey to people who have faced a tragic loss.
At 9 a.m. Oct. 16, Ford will set out to run 120-plus miles in 24 hours at North’s Jim McCann Stadium, 950 County Line Road, to raise money for the Westerville Education Challenge Hope Squad, a peer-led suicide-prevention program brought to Westerville and its three high schools to increase visibility for suicide awareness and prevention.
“I lost my dad to suicide in 2010, so WEC’s mission of suicide prevention via Hope Squad really connected with me,” Ford said. “This run is my way of giving back to my community and paying it forward to the young people struggling with tragic loss and mental health.”
Losing a loved one is one of the most painful experiences a person endures, he said.
“But you can endure it,” Ford said. “Lean on your loved ones, communicate your needs, allow yourself to feel your emotions and process them. The pain of that loss will never go away, but you will learn to manage it and become whole again. And always remember you are loved, appreciated and are important.
“There is always hope,” he said.
Ford, 29, who grew up across the street from Hoover Reservoir, attended McVay Elementary School and then Walnut Springs Middle School, where he started running.
He said he continued to run through high school at Westerville North on the cross country and track and field teams and into college at Ohio Wesleyan University.
“Since then, I have focused on running ultramarathons (any foot race over 26.2 miles). I have done 18 official ultramarathon events since 2017 and am looking forward to my first 24-hour challenge,” Ford said.
Kristan Robertson, Westerville Education Challenge president, said WEC launched Hope Squad in all three high schools in August. She said WEC, an all-volunteer organization that started in 2009, has a few members who have lost family members to suicide so the passion was there from the organization and the group is proud to bring the program to the district.
“I am lucky enough to be one of the liaison advisers for Hope Squad and participated in the student training days this summer,” Robertson said. “The energy in the room was contagious. It was refreshing to see the excitement from the students and their desire to take on these leadership roles within their buildings.”
For WEC, she said, the hope is that each squad within its building helps to change the building culture and works to equip the whole student body with the tools to help and support someone in need.
“Our students are the eyes and ears within the buildings. … Let’s support them with tools to help others,” Robertson said. “Along with bringing Hope Squad to our buildings, the programming offers QPR (question, persuade and refer) training, which our Hope Squad students have received, and we have started offering training dates to the Westerville community.”
Tami Santa, director of mental health and wellness for the Westerville City Schools, said QPR is a piece to the Hope Squads.
“We have been able to offer monthly community opportunities to receive this same important content,” she said. “We have also hosted sessions for our parents of Hope Squad students at each high school.”
The 90-minute training session is open to everyone over age 18 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month through December.
Small businesses and organizations also have a lunch-and-learn in-person opportunity for the training. To learn more and sign up for the training, go to tiny.cc/wcmheo.
Participants learn the warning signs of suicide and how to question, persuade and refer someone who might be suicidal.
Robertson said Ford is a new member to WEC and brings a passion and personal story that help fuel the passion.
“He became a member right when we were bringing Hope Squad into our district and joined our programming committee,” she said. “The fact that he is openly sharing his personal story of heartache so that it reaches others who may be suffering and searching for hope goes above and beyond.”
Robertson said she’s so proud of the efforts WEC has made over the past two years in bringing more awareness and support to the district and community.
“Kevin’s race and personal goal is just another piece of how our members are always trying to support, educate and bring mental health awareness to our community,” she said.
To learn more about Ford’s run, WEC, the Hope Squad and to donate to show support for suicide awareness and prevention, go to westervilleeducationchallenge.org.
mkuhlman@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekMarla
“There is always hope.”
That’s the message Kevin Ford, a 2011 Westerville North High school alumnus, wants to convey to people who have faced a tragic loss.
At 9 a.m. Oct. 16, Ford will set out to run 120-plus miles in 24 hours at North’s Jim McCann Stadium, 950 County Line Road, to raise money for the Westerville Education Challenge Hope Squad, a peer-led suicide-prevention program brought to Westerville and its three high schools to increase visibility for suicide awareness and prevention.
“I lost my dad to suicide in 2010, so WEC’s mission of suicide prevention via Hope Squad really connected with me,” Ford said. “This run is my way of giving back to my community and paying it forward to the young people struggling with tragic loss and mental health.”
Losing a loved one is one of the most painful experiences a person endures, he said.
“But you can endure it,” Ford said. “Lean on your loved ones, communicate your needs, allow yourself to feel your emotions and process them. The pain of that loss will never go away, but you will learn to manage it and become whole again. And always remember you are loved, appreciated and are important.
“There is always hope,” he said.
Ford, 29, who grew up across the street from Hoover Reservoir, attended McVay Elementary School and then Walnut Springs Middle School, where he started running.
He said he continued to run through high school at Westerville North on the cross country and track and field teams and into college at Ohio Wesleyan University.
“Since then, I have focused on running ultramarathons (any foot race over 26.2 miles). I have done 18 official ultramarathon events since 2017 and am looking forward to my first 24-hour challenge,” Ford said.
Kristan Robertson, Westerville Education Challenge president, said WEC launched Hope Squad in all three high schools in August. She said WEC, an all-volunteer organization that started in 2009, has a few members who have lost family members to suicide so the passion was there from the organization and the group is proud to bring the program to the district.
“I am lucky enough to be one of the liaison advisers for Hope Squad and participated in the student training days this summer,” Robertson said. “The energy in the room was contagious. It was refreshing to see the excitement from the students and their desire to take on these leadership roles within their buildings.”
For WEC, she said, the hope is that each squad within its building helps to change the building culture and works to equip the whole student body with the tools to help and support someone in need.
“Our students are the eyes and ears within the buildings. … Let’s support them with tools to help others,” Robertson said. “Along with bringing Hope Squad to our buildings, the programming offers QPR (question, persuade and refer) training, which our Hope Squad students have received, and we have started offering training dates to the Westerville community.”
Tami Santa, director of mental health and wellness for the Westerville City Schools, said QPR is a piece to the Hope Squads.
“We have been able to offer monthly community opportunities to receive this same important content,” she said. “We have also hosted sessions for our parents of Hope Squad students at each high school.”
The 90-minute training session is open to everyone over age 18 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month through December.
Small businesses and organizations also have a lunch-and-learn in-person opportunity for the training. To learn more and sign up for the training, go to tiny.cc/wcmheo.
Participants learn the warning signs of suicide and how to question, persuade and refer someone who might be suicidal.
Robertson said Ford is a new member to WEC and brings a passion and personal story that help fuel the passion.
“He became a member right when we were bringing Hope Squad into our district and joined our programming committee,” she said. “The fact that he is openly sharing his personal story of heartache so that it reaches others who may be suffering and searching for hope goes above and beyond.”
Robertson said she’s so proud of the efforts WEC has made over the past two years in bringing more awareness and support to the district and community.
“Kevin’s race and personal goal is just another piece of how our members are always trying to support, educate and bring mental health awareness to our community,” she said.
To learn more about Ford’s run, WEC, the Hope Squad and to donate to show support for suicide awareness and prevention, go to westervilleeducationchallenge.org.
mkuhlman@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekMarla
