DCCCA plans 5K festival to raise youth suicide prevention funds

Douglas County families are being asked to run, walk and show up for a problem that has already taken too many young lives. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for county residents ages 15 to 44 and the eighth leading cause overall, and the 2025 county brief counted 25 suicides in 2023, the highest annual total in the report’s dataset. The same brief says firearms were involved in 50% of those deaths, and the county’s 2019-2023 age-adjusted suicide rate of 14.8 per 100,000 still topped the Healthy People 2030 target of 12.8. Engage Douglas County also says Kansas’ suicide rate is up 45% since 1999.

DCCCA’s third annual Leading Causes of Life 5K & Festival is set for Saturday, May 2, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Broken Arrow Park, 2800 Louisiana St., in Lawrence. The festival is free, the 5K costs $20, and the route begins at the park. Organizers say the morning will include live music, free food, community resource tables, giveaway items and a wall where people can leave messages of hope or memories of loved ones.

The event is designed to raise money for youth suicide prevention and mental health services in Douglas County, while keeping attention on Engage Douglas County’s broader prevention work. DCCCA formed Engage Douglas County in January 2019 in response to the Douglas County Community Health Plan, and the coalition says its mission is to mobilize and empower the county to reduce substance misuse and promote mental health, primarily among youth, through action, education and collaboration. Its programming includes youth training in substance misuse prevention, suicide prevention, mental health and leadership. A past turnout of nearly 100 people registering for the 5K suggests the fundraiser has become a local gathering point, not just a race.

For parents and teens who need help whether or not they attend, Engage Douglas County says Douglas County residents can call 785-841-2345 or 988 to reach trained counselors at Kansas Suicide Prevention Headquarters, and the Mobile Response Team can respond to a crisis location. DCCCA’s Lawrence Outpatient Services provide mental health care and substance use treatment for adolescents and adults, and DCCCA’s Service Center in east Lawrence, near 23rd and Harper, houses Behavioral Health Outpatient services.