Our Story

During the 2001-2002 school year, four students at a high school in Jefferson County, Colorado, died by suicide in a nine-month time frame. The community was profoundly affected.

In response to these four suicides, three members of a neighboring church, Green Mountain Presbyterian Church (GMPC), held a small walk/run to show solidarity with the school, an event that sparked the Second Wind Fund. Most of the 66 people that participated in the event were GMPC members, or their friends. Still, due to the generosity of the participants and those who made donations, enough money was raised to provide counseling to a handful of students at the high school who were at-risk for suicide but didn't have the financial means to get help on their own.

After a few referrals were made in 2002, Second Wind began receiving calls from other schools requesting use of the fund. Due to the additional need for the fund, Second Wind Fund was extended to three additional high schools, as well as their feeder schools, in May 2003.

Due to the success of the program in the Denver area, other Colorado and national communities have shown interest in starting an affiliate in their area. Currently, there are nine affiliates in Colorado, including the flagship affiliate, Second Wind Fund of Metro Denver. Second Wind Fund of Metro Denver provides free, professional counseling services to hundreds of local youth every year, with 2,300 referrals from 300 schools made in the Denver area since 2002.

The event that was once a church picnic fundraiser is now the largest suicide prevention event in the nation with thousands of participants every September. To learn more about the 5k Music Festival, visit the Events page.