YOU MATTER DAY: Suicide Awareness and Mental Health Event Set Sept. 27 at Merritt Island High School

Featuring fun games, a dunk tank, food trucks, entertainment, music and drawings

BREVARD COUNTY • MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA – People will gather at Merritt Island High School’s auditorium parking lot for the 4th annual You Matter Day, this Saturday, September 27 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., in honor of Suicide Prevention Month.

The local non-profit organizes this event, Do It For Hunter, with a mission of saving just one life from suicide.

In late September of 2021, just five weeks after starting college at UCF, the Haskins family of Merritt Island received the worst call of their lives. Their son Hunter wouldn’t be coming home.

“I asked if it was a prank call, actually, I pleaded with the officer on the other end to tell me it was a prank,” says Kelly Haskins.

Sadly, it was not. Hunter had taken his life.

Since then, the Haskins family and friends have turned their grief into purpose by starting a suicide awareness non-profit in his name.

“After losing Hunter, I knew we had to do something, we had to be proactive to help, especially young people find ways to get help when they are struggling,” says Kelly Haskins, Founder of Do It For Hunter.

“We started this event 4 years ago with our own money and a simple message of You Matter. What first began as a lemonade and hug drive-through at our local schools has now expanded into so much more! Merritt Island High School is now the hub, but most of the schools on the island will have an activity booth at the event. It’s exciting to see this event evolve and grow!”

In addition to school booths, numerous local mental health resource organizations will be present to share information on how to access help.

“We want people to have the tools ahead of time, in case or when they need help. We want people to know it’s ok not to be ok sometimes, and to make it just a little easier to reach out for help,” says Haskins.

There will be fun games, a dunk tank, food trucks, entertainment, music, and drawings. The Space Coast Jeep Club and Dixie Cruisers will be in attendance for all car enthusiasts. Space Coast Therapy Dogs, as well as Goat Happy Hour, will have some furry friends for people to meet and interact with.

Big Don’s BBQ, Kona Ice, and Bigg Squeeze will also be there. Attendees will check in and get a passport card, which they can take to all the booths to get stamped for a chance to win great drawing prizes donated by local businesses. The more booths you visit, the more tickets you’ll earn. Drawings take place at 12:30 p.m.

The morning will kick off with a Fun Run/Walk called “The Mustang Mile,” which starts at the auditorium and takes participants around the perimeter of the high school. There will be prizes for the top 3 male and female finishers, and even surprise prizes for those in between!

Registration for the Walk is $25 and includes a t-shirt and entry into a drawing. Register online at RunSignup.

“Hunter was a normal 18-year-old. He played lacrosse and football all through high school. He was a high achiever, was loved by a huge group of family and friends, but he struggled internally,” says his mom. “He wouldn’t talk about his feelings; he didn’t know how to reach out for help.

That’s what we strive for: to help young people know how to reach out when they are struggling and to make sure they know they matter, no matter what. My friends and family and I needed to turn our grief into something good, and be proactive for others, so that another family doesn’t have to experience what our family and friends have had to go through.”

Visit DoItForHunter.org or follow You Matter Do It For Hunter on Facebook and Instagram for details about the event.

“We need to make sure everyone, especially our youth, knows they matter, they are loved, and that there are places and people to turn to if you feel helpless from depression and anxiety,” says Haskins. “If it happened to our family, it could happen to anyone. We need to spread love and kindness and the You Matter message not just in September during suicide awareness month, but always.”

Do It For Hunter means TALK about your feelings to someone, anyone. It means STAY another day. It means reaching out to someone for help, or reach IN to a friend who doesn’t know how to reach out for help. Do it for Hunter.

Do It For Hunter, Inc. is a registered non-profit. Call 321-866-6105, visit doitforhunter.org, or email admin@doitforhunter.org for information.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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