LaGrange Suicide Prevention Event Brings Hope, Resources and Community Support

Some events stay with you because of the people you meet. Some stay with you because of what they mean. This one did both for me, personally.

The suicide prevention event in LaGrange, Georgia, hosted by Joy Inside Tears in partnership with Find Something Purple, sponsored by MoeMoe Candle Company, No Days Off Water, and RoughCut Agency, brought people together for a reason that’s heavy, honest, and needed. It gave the community a place to talk about mental health, suicide prevention, grief, survival, and support without shame.

For Find Something Purple, this was more than another event on the calendar. It was the 4th annual event we attended with the goal of reaching people who need resources, connection, and hope. LaGrange is my hometown. It’s where my siblings and I grew up. So showing up there hits different.

This week also marked 2 years since I lost my little brother Isaac. That kind of anniversary can knock the wind out of you. But standing in the same community we came from, helping people who showed up looking for information, comfort, or just someone who understood, reminded me why this work matters.

Why this event mattered so much in LaGrange

LaGrange is home.

It’s the place where you remember back roads, school days, family cookouts or baseball games In the backyard, and the people who knew you before life got complicated. It’s also a place where people carry pain quietly. Like many communities, LaGrange has families dealing with grief, depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, and the kind of stress that doesn’t always show on the outside.

That’s why suicide prevention can’t just live online or in brochures. It has to show up where people are.

At this event, people had a chance to walk up, ask questions, take resources, share stories, or simply be around others who care. Sometimes that first step is small. A conversation. A flyer. A hug. A moment where someone realizes they’re not the only one fighting something invisible.

Find Something Purple showed up to be part of that.

Purple has become a symbol of remembrance, awareness, and purpose for us. It helps open the door to conversations people might otherwise avoid. When someone sees the color, the table, the name, or the mission, it gives them a reason to stop and talk.

And those talks matter.

Not everyone who needs help will say, “I’m struggling.” Some people will ask about a candle. Some will grab a bottle of water. Some will stand close to a table for a few minutes before they’re ready to speak. Some won’t say much at all, but they’ll listen.

That’s still connection.

That’s still outreach.

That’s still prevention.

The sponsors helped create a space people could trust

MoeMoe Candle Company, No Days Off Water, and RoughCut Agency didn’t just put their names on an event. They helped make the day possible for a community that needs continued mental health support.

When local businesses and community brands stand behind suicide prevention, it sends a clear message: this issue belongs to all of us.

It’s not only for therapists, hospitals, schools, or crisis lines. Those resources are vital, but the community has a role too. Business owners, creatives, families, coaches, barbers, teachers, faith leaders, and friends all help shape whether people feel safe enough to speak up.

That kind of support can change the energy of a whole event.

MoeMoe Candle Company brought warmth to the day in a way that fit the moment. Candles often remind people of memory, reflection, prayer, peace, and honoring loved ones. This candle company saves the lives of animals in the Georgia shelters that need it the most. At an event centered on suicide prevention, that kind of symbol lands deeply.

RoughCut Agency helped support the broader effort and visibility. Events like this need people who understand how to bring a message to the public in a way that feels real. Mental health outreach can’t feel cold or distant. It has to feel human.

And No Days Off Water brought something practical that also speaks to wellness.

No Days Off Water supported hydration, recovery, and wellness

No Days Off Water showed up with a clear purpose: helping people take care of themselves from the inside out.

The brand highlights itself as the cleanest water on the market, made to provide essential electrolytes that support hydration, recovery, and a healthier mindset. At an event focused on mental health, that kind of support fits naturally.

Of course, water isn’t a replacement for therapy, crisis care, medication, community support, or professional help. Mental health is complex, and people deserve real care. But the basics still matter.

When people are dehydrated, exhausted, or physically drained, everything can feel harder. A difficult day can feel heavier. Stress can feel sharper. Recovery can feel slower. Taking care of the body doesn’t fix everything, but it can support the fight.

That’s why having No Days Off Water there mattered.

People could grab a bottle, hydrate, and keep moving through the event. It was a reminder that wellness isn’t only one big thing. It’s a series of small choices and supports that add up:

• Drinking water

• Resting when the body needs it

• Eating enough

• Talking to someone safe

• Moving the body when possible

• Asking for help early

• Staying connected to community

• Finding one reason to keep going

  
  

The name No Days Off also hits differently in this space. When you’ve lost someone to suicide, the work can feel constant. Grief doesn’t take days off. Advocacy doesn’t always feel easy. Healing isn’t clean or quick.

But showing up doesn’t always mean doing something huge.

Some days, showing up means handing someone a resource card. Some days, it means putting on purple and standing at a table. Some days, it means drinking water, taking a breath, and making it through the anniversary of a loss.

That counts too.

Carrying Isaac’s memory into the work

There’s no simple way to talk about losing my little brother Isaac.

Two years can feel like a long time to people on the outside. For the people living with the loss, it can feel like yesterday and a lifetime ago at the same time.

Grief changes you. It changes how you hear certain songs. It changes how you walk into rooms. It changes holidays, birthdays, random Tuesdays, and the quiet moments nobody sees. It also changes the way you respond when someone else says they’re hurting.

You listen differently.

You notice things differently.

You stop assuming people are fine just because they smiled.

That’s part of why this work means so much to me. I don’t show up to suicide prevention events because it’s easy. I show up because I know what it feels like to wish there had been one more conversation, one more resource, one more moment where pain met support before it was too late.

Helping others who came out to the event made the fight, the work, the dedication, and the energy worth it.

Every person who stopped by mattered. Every conversation mattered. Every moment of honesty mattered.

Some people came because they lost someone. Some came because they’re supporting a loved one. Some came because they’re in their own battle. Some may not have had the words yet, but they knew they needed to be near hope.

That’s sacred ground.

What suicide prevention looks like in real life

Suicide prevention can sound like a big, clinical phrase. But in real life, it often looks simple and personal.

It looks like checking on the friend who went quiet.

It looks like asking, “Are you really okay?” and being willing to hear the truth.

It looks like saving the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in your phone.

It looks like taking warning signs seriously.

It looks like not brushing people off when they say they’re tired, overwhelmed, or don’t want to be here anymore.

It looks like creating spaces where people don’t have to perform strength.

At the LaGrange event, prevention looked like community members gathering in one place and choosing not to ignore the pain around them. That’s powerful because silence can make people feel trapped. Honest conversation can open a door.

A person doesn’t need to have perfect words to help someone. Most people just need to know they’re not alone and that help exists.

If someone is in immediate danger or talking about suicide, stay with them if it’s safe, remove access to anything they could use to harm themselves, and call or text 988 in the U.S. for crisis support. If there’s an immediate emergency, call 911.

If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988 in the United States. You can also chat through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Help is available 24/7.

That information should be as common as knowing where the nearest hospital is. It should be shared at schools, churches, gyms, family reunions, sporting events, and community days. The more normal it becomes to talk about help, the easier it gets for someone to reach for it.

Why community makes the difference

Mental health resources are badly needed in so many communities, and LaGrange is no exception. People need access to care, but they also need trust. They need to see familiar faces. They need support that feels close enough to reach.

That’s why hometown work matters.

When you serve the place that raised you, you bring your whole story with you. You remember the streets. You remember the people. You understand the pride, the pain, and the way folks can sometimes keep personal struggles behind closed doors.

Being a resource in that kind of setting is personal.

I love working with the community and the public because it gives purpose to the pain. It turns grief into service. It doesn’t erase the loss, but it gives the love somewhere to go.

And love needs somewhere to go.

Find Something Purple exists because loss doesn’t get the last word. Isaac’s life mattered. Joey's life mattered. My uncle Tony's life mattered. My cousin Danelle's life mattered. The people still fighting matter. The families grieving matter. The friends trying to help matter. The community matters.

That message was felt throughout the event.

It showed up through the sponsors who cared enough to be involved. It showed up through the people who came by. It showed up through purple reminders, water cans, candles, conversations, and quiet moments of reflection.

A suicide prevention event doesn’t have to be perfect to be powerful. It just has to be real.

This one was real.

The work continues after the event ends

The hard truth is that one event can’t meet every need. It can’t replace long-term care, counseling access, crisis support, or ongoing community programs.

But one event can start a conversation.

One table can give someone a resource they didn’t have before.

One sponsor can help make support more visible.

One can of water can remind someone to care for their body.

One candle can honor a life.

One story can help someone feel less alone.

That’s why we keep showing up.

The LaGrange Suicide Prevention Event Brings Hope, Resources and Community Support because people chose to gather around a painful issue with compassion instead of fear. Joy Inside Tears, MoeMoe Candle Company, No Days Off Water, RoughCut Agency, Find Something Purple, and everyone who came out helped create a space where healing felt possible.

For me, this week was emotional. Marking 2 years without Isaac will never be easy. But being in my hometown, serving the same community my brothers and I grew up in, reminded me that purpose can live right beside grief.

The fight is worth it.

The work is worth it.

The dedication and energy are worth it.

If even one person left feeling seen, supported, or willing to keep going, then the day mattered more than words can say.