Landon's Light
Donation protected
As you may know, our family lost our beautiful son and brother, Landon Hull, to suicide last fall. Landon's death came after years of mental health struggles and an indescribable amount of work to help him see his own light. Since his death, we have heard from countless people that--despite the darkness he struggled with personally and privately--he was a GREAT, BIG SHINING LIGHT in their lives.
Montana--and our nation, as a whole--continues to have a woeful imbalance between mental healthcare needs and availability. This was a constant struggle for our family as we searched for resources to help Landon--often only to be told he would be put on a waitlist that was 6 months to a year long, or with no guarantee of EVER getting off the waitlist.
We want to be a part of the solution. For that reason, we are establishing the Landon's Light Memorial Foundation to provide financial scholarships to college students pursuing careers in mental healthcare fields of practice.
On June 3rd, Andrew, Gabe and I will be riding in the Dead Swede Gravel Race in Sheridan, WY.
Bike riding and racing is something Landon loved to do with his dad and brother.
It comes naturally to the boys, but not so much to me, anymore! While Andrew and Gabe are racing the 60-mile course, I will make my way through the 40-miler, gaining over 2,000 feet of elevation through the rolling foothills of the Big Horn mountains.
I will be proudly wearing my Landon's Light cycling jersey, and turning over every pedal stroke in Landon's memory. People will ask me about my jersey, and I will tell them all about Landon.
Aside from using my participation in the Dead Swede to tell people about my son and the importance of talking about suicide and suicide prevention, I would like to use this ride as a fundraiser for two purposes:
1. To raise funds to kickstart the Landon's Light Memorial Foundation
2. To raise money which will be used to organize OUR SECOND FUNDRAISER OF THE SUMMER:
The First Memorial Landon's Light Mountain Bike Race! This race is scheduled for August 13th at Highland Glen in Bozeman, MT. Registration fees for this race will go directly into the Landon's Light Memorial Foundation.
Here's where you come in:
Will you sponsor me $1, $2 or maybe even $5/mile for my 40-mile Dead Swede race? Or maybe you would prefer to make a flat donation? Every dollar earned through this GoFundMe campaign will go directly into our efforts to:
- Raise awareness and de-stigmatize the conversation around suicide and suicide prevention
- Establish the Landon's Light Memorial Foundation for college students studying psychology/counseling with the intent to provide mental health care services as a profession.
Thank you for helping me and my family spread Landon's light. If you feel comfortable doing so, please share the link for this fundraiser to your social network. A primary focus of the Landon's Light mountain bike race will be the importance of being a part of a community. Thank you for sharing Landon's Light with your network, and helping to expand our community.
About suicide:
In Montana, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 15-24; our state has nearly TWICE THE SUICIDE RATE as the national rate. We currently rank #3 in the nation for suicide deaths.
The suicide rate among adolescents has been steadily increasing over the past two decades. And between 2000 - 2018, the overall national suicide rate jumped over 35%. Current estimates are that we lose someone to suicide every 11 minutes in this country. ONE LIFE LOST EVERY 11 MINUTES.
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing thoughts of suicide, CALL 988--the national suicide prevention hotline. You can also contact the Bozeman Help Center for both crisis and non-crisis mental health support by calling 988, or visiting their website here.
More resources to help you understand the gravity and complexity of suicide:
Organizer
Kimmelin Hull
Organizer
Bozeman, MT