WALL TOWNSHIP – The CulleyStrong Foundation, in memory of Sean Culley of Brick, held its annual “You Are Not Alone” 5K race and walk this past Saturday, raising awareness and funds for suicide prevention.
The mission of the foundation and annual race is to allow the memory of Sean Culley, who was a student in Brick and took his own life in 2019 at the age of 19, to continue to help others through education, suicide prevention and mental health awareness. The foundation also aims to reflect Sean Culley’s passion for good sportsmanship, kind deeds and athletics. According to Stephen Culley, father of Sean and founder of CulleyStrong, the funds raised from the 5K will help bring and fund peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs to schools.
“We really like the fact that this is the best weather weekend in New Jersey since the beginning of the year,” Stephen Culley said at the race. “It worked out great. We had a great turnout, the kids are having a good time, and this is exactly what we were hoping for.”
The race, which took place at the Wall Township Municipal Complex at 2700 Allaire Road, brought out over 160 participants across both the 5K run and the walk. The top three male finishers in the 5K were Jack Harmon, 19, of Manasquan; Matthew Moses, 18, and Joseph Miller, 19, both of Brick. Top three females were Madeleine Zullow, 23, and Hannah Zullow, 19, both of West Windsor; and Madeline Williams, 22, of Wall.
Other organizations in attendance supporting the mission of suicide prevention included Jordan’s Relay, a nonprofit organization created in honor of Jordan Lynne Day Haller, who took her own life at 20 years old in 2022. Ali Kloskowski, the organization’s managing director, spoke to The Coast Star about how they help the mission of preventing suicide.
“Jordan’s Relay is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing suicide by providing resources to parents, bringing peer-to-peer programs to schools and and just making lots of resources more accessible,” Kloskowski said.
Also in attendance were Tricia and Kurt Baker of Attitudes in Reverse (AIR) and AIR Dogs nonprofit organizations, which have a mission to destigmatize suicide and aid in its prevention by creating a community of understanding through education and the use of certified therapy dogs. The Baker family founded AIR in 2010 after their son, Kenny Baker, took his own life after a battle with severe depression and anxiety in 2009 at the age of 19.
“We are here today because we understand the pain that the Culleys went through. We lost our son in 2009,” Tricia Baker said. “The whole idea is we want people to understand that these are biological brain illnesses that are affecting our children. Instead of judging them and stigmatizing their behaviors, they have to understand that these are symptoms of an illness.”
Also in attendance was Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention programming nonprofit organization, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, each with a table set up with information about suicide awareness education and prevention.
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