Attitudes in Reverse Launches West Coast Chapter to Save More Lives Through Its Mental-Health Education Program

Supernatural poster for season three of the popular TV series. Left, Jared Padalecki. Right, Jensen Ackles. – Courtesy Photo

In mid-November, several leaders of Princeton-based Attitudes In Reverse (AIR) will travel to Pasadena, CA, to establish a California chapter of its 100 percent volunteer, nonprofit organization and expand its mission of saving young people’s lives through education about mental health, related disorders and suicide prevention. The entourage will include AIR co-founders Tricia Baker and her daughter Katelyn, fellow AIR Board of Trustee members Judy Duff and Shauna Moses and Laura Cerrito, a long-time AIR supporter and volunteer. In California, they will meet up with Jane Hightower, a nurse, mother, and fellow fan of the popular TV program Supernatural, which served as the connection point for her and Tricia Baker.

Hightower learned about AIR during Supernatural star Jared Padalecki’s “Always Keep Fighting” campaign last spring, which supports AIR and other organizations focused on improving mental health and preventing suicides. Hightower’s interest was generated by two suicides: one in her son’s middle school and one of a friend of her daughter’s.

“There were a lot of rumors at the school that were to this day never addressed and my kids were scared and confused and I didn’t feel equipped to help them navigate everything they were feeling,” Hightower said. “My daughter’s friend was not a person who had ever expressed that he was struggling at all, so that compelled me to begin searching for answers for her. It was then that I learned about the whole movement to end stigma and I was moved to get involved in this fight,” she added.

“I followed the Always Keep Fighting campaign closely so I knew that Jared Padalecki had chosen to support AIR. I went to the websites of all of the organizations he said he was supporting at that time. I called Tricia to see if she would be willing to come out and talk to my kids’ school, and one thing led to another and we decided that California students need AIR, too,” Hightower said.

During the AIR co-founders and their fellow volunteers’ visit in California, an “In Their Shoes” exhibit will on display at Pasadena City College on Nov. 12. In this powerful display, the shoes have tags featuring statements representing thoughts youth may have when they have emotional or mental difficulties. For example, “Why can’t I be happy?”; “I don’t belong anywhere.”; “I can’t get out of bed most days.” The goal is to have 456 pairs of shoes in the exhibit to match the average number of individuals aged 10 to 24 years in California who die by suicide each year.

In New Jersey, this number is 232 and AIR has an “In Their Shoes” exhibit consisting of 232 pairs of shoes. The display consistently draws attention and emotion, clearly achieving the goals of building empathy for youth who struggle and encouraging visitors to help their peers get help when needed, as well as to seek help for themselves when needed.

“Stigma is the greatest barrier to people seeking help and our “In Their Shoes” exhibit is an effective tool for fighting stigma,” Baker said. “This is also a goal of our educational program, Coming Up for AIR. We teach students the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders and emphasize that these are real illnesses and if they experience any of the symptoms, they should not be embarrassed and they should get help as soon as possible.”

The official California chapter launch event will be AIR’s Rally to Remember with music, guest speakers, including a representative from the Didi Hirsch Foundation, a local provider of mental health and substance abuse services and a memorial candle lighting ceremony during which attendees will be invited to light candles in honor of loved ones who were lost too soon. The rally will be held at Paseo Colorado, 280 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena on November 14, 2015 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. across the street from the Pasadena Convention Center where a Supernatural convention will be taking place earlier that day and throughout the weekend.

In fact, the AIR group will also be exhibiting at the Supernatural convention, as they have done in several other states over the past couple of years and will continue to do so as part of maintaining and building on the support they have gained from Padalecki, his co-star Jensen Ackles, and other actors from this popular TV show.

Attitudes In Reverse (AIR) was established by Tricia, Kurt and Katelyn Baker of Plainsboro, NJ, in 2010, soon after their son/brother Kenny died by suicide following a long battle against severe depression and anxiety. Their mission is to save lives by educating students about mental health, related disorders and suicide prevention. Since January 2011, they have presented to more than 22,000 students in middle and high schools and colleges in New Jersey, New York and Vermont. AIR recently began offering Youth Mental Health First AID instruction. AIR includes the AIR Dogs: Paws for Minds program, bringing dogs into schools to help students de-stress and engage in the conversation about mental health.  In addition, displaced dogs with the ability to serve as emotional support dogs, are matched with individuals who have mental health disorders or developmental disabilities, thereby saving two lives with each match. For more information about AIR, please visit www.attitudesinreverse.org or call (609) 945-3200.

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