Labor of Love music festival seeks to prevent suicide
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
When someone suffers from depression and anxiety, one of the most difficult tasks for them is to ask for help.
While some might depend on CBD oil supplements and tinctures, which is, in fact, a better healthy choice to combat stress, others may end up resorting to alcohol or, in the worst cases, suicide. Since 2009, the number of people enduring the pain that have succumbed to suicide or attempted suicide is on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC reports 41,000 suicide deaths occurred in 2013, up from 38,000 in a similar study in 2010.
Suicide affects all ages, ethnic backgrounds, both men and women, and does not discriminate, regardless of how a person presents themselves in public. Understandably, with the increasing number of people who tend to struggle with mental health problems, many self-prescribe with anti-depressants. But how much of it actually works would remain unknown unless genetic testing for antidepressants is carried out. Suicide, thus, becomes the easy way out for many. Perhaps the reason why so many people end up feeling helpless enough to end their lives could be that they always keep their emotions bottled up, and rely on anti-depressants to fix their melancholy for them. They tend to surround themselves with negative energy that continues to increase every day. Staying in a mindset like that can easily push someone over the edge. Hence, ways of releasing negative energy and attracting positive energy should be practiced by individuals affected by depression, and contacting a professional shaman from LightSong or similar companies can help with such spiritual endeavors.
Similarly, other people may prefer different methods for releasing negative energy and combating stress. One such method could be to get away from the mundane life and go on a vacation. While some prefer going on a winter vacation to hill stations, others may choose to go on a beach vacation to places like Florida or Warrnambool, Australia. Also, the beach tends to be healing for some people, so they might look for a seaside warrnambool cafe where they can relax and enjoy the view of the ocean as well.
Coming back, the ones who have decided to break the mould and speak up about such issues are the Wilson’s.The Wilson family of Wheatland refuses to be just a statistic since the 2009 suicide of 21-year-old Jamie Wilson, daughter of Kelly.
Since the death of Jamie, the family has been the driving force behind Just Live, Inc. an organization that consists of several unpaid volunteers who have been affected by suicide or depression. According to board member Janet Geller-Lesko, it alleviates the pain through unity.
If you go…
What: Labor of Love Music Festival
When: Sunday, Sept. 4, noon to 7 p.m.
Where: New Munster Ball Field, 34315 Geneva Rd., New Munster.
The lowdown: Food, games, raffles and live blue grass music to celebrate the short life and Jamie Wilson and raise funds for suicide awareness. Admission is free.
“It is not that easy, and many of the people involved with the organization have had members of their family commit suicide or have had a mental illness,” Geller-Lesko explained.
As part of the organization’s mission, the volunteers host the annual, and free, Labor of Love Music Festival (this year on Sept. 4) to bolsters awareness and emphasizes the solution.
Inspired by Jamie Wilson’s love of bluegrass music, the seventh annual event features live bands, with proceeds going to organizations with a mission to help those who need it and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
“She was a big fan of bluegrass, so that’s why we made it a bluegrass festival,” Geller-Lesko said.
Bands expected to take the stage are Pert Near Sandstone, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, Whiskey Shivers and Sparrow Tree.
Geller-Lesko, who never met Jamie Wilson, often looks at photos of her, and realizes the hidden illness that depression is.
Jamie Wilson had a beaming smile and golden-blonde hair.
“I would look at her, and would think to myself, how can somebody look so beautiful and looks like they got it all together be in so much pain?” Geller-Lesko said. “Mental illness does not discriminate. She was a very family-oriented person. She was very kind-hearted and very close to her family.”
Instead of sitting idly, the Wilson family along with the Wheatland community, opted to find a solution for depression and anxiety, forming the nonprofit organization in 2010.
That same year, the Labor of Love Music Festival was born, and has grown since, courtesy of the support of people throughout the area, Geller-Lesko reported.
“As the years have gone by, we have become more organized,” she said. “In the beginning, there was just a few people doing a lot of things, now we have broken it down by committee.”
The Labor of Love Festival is the organization’s chief fundraiser of the year, and would not have been possible without the support of the community.
Community support included the Town of Wheatland Fire Department, which handled food services at the festival.
“We used to do all of the food ourselves and it was a lot of work,” she said. “Now we coordinate that with the fire department so they do all of the food now.
“The community is incredibly supportive and as each year has gone by, we increased the number of people who attend. We have been able to tap into the community for donations.”
Donations include raffle prizes consisting of a four-day rental of a recreational vehicle, multiple restaurants pitching in with a “Dining Out” basket and camping equipment – another passion Jamie had.
This year, Geller-Lesko is donating a kayak or canoe.
Other high-end packages include a getaway to Lake Geneva, a “Man Cave” package and a basket of electronics.
While guests vie for raffle prizes, enjoy bluegrass music and savor food hot off the grill, there are activities for children.
Activities include face painting, magic displays, crafts they can take home, and games.
Staying true to the organization and festival’s mission, however, several exhibits and educational materials related to suicide prevention will be on display with social workers standing by to help those in need.
The most pivotal moment of the festival is the presentation of colors by the Great Lakes Honor Guard, along with a singing of “May the Circle Be Unbroken” by the Jon Dowley family as attendees come together on a united front.
Another poignant moment occurs when organizers release 13 Doves into the air.
Organizers hope with education and more awareness, the rising number of suicides will begin to decline, and give those suffering from depression a new outlook on life.
“Unfortunately a lot of people who have a mental illness, particularly depression, they feel helpless and hopeless,” Geller-Lesko said. “Suicide is not the answer, it’s a permanent answer to a temporary problem and that there is help out there. There are resources out there.”
Who to call
If you, or someone you love is in crisis, help is available by calling the following resources:
• National Suicide Hotline
(800) 273-8258
• Kenosha County Crisis Center
(800) 236-7188
• Racine County Crisis Services
(262) 638-6741
• Walworth County Crisis Services
(800) 365-1587
• Hopeline
Text “Hopeline” to 741741
Resources include a fairly new initiative called Hopeline, one of the festival’s beneficiaries, that gives those suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts a chance to seek help via text message.
Geller-Lesko said Hopeline is a 24-hour-a-day text service with live help.
“It is called Hopeline in Wisconsin and it is called other things in other states,” she said. “It is a basically a text program where (if) you are suddenly feeling anxious or depressed, confused or scared they can text on their phone and it goes to a live person to help.”
Hopeline is an outlet presented by The Center for Suicide Awareness is aimed toward teens and adults, who often have difficulty expressing themselves verbally, with hopes of encouraging more to come forward and ask for help.
The text service, a first in Wisconsin, allows people to receive help via any electronic device, including a computer, laptop, tablet, cellular phone and an IPAD.
Other supportive outlets include Question, Persuade and Refer, or QPR.
QPR is a free suicide prevention program for people who hope to save the life of someone who attempted suicide or has suicidal thoughts.
Part of the program includes the recognition of warning signs, how to approach someone, and persuade them to seek help.
Along with QPR, Just Live has continued to train officials at multiple levels, including law enforcement, emergency personnel and school officials.
Like the festival, the QPR program is free for anyone who wants to help reduce the risks.
Kelly Wilson stated the benefits of the festival are two-fold.
“It’s a wonderful time, people enjoy themselves and they walk away learning something new,” she said.
In addition to therapeutic support, Just Live, Inc. has started to explore other avenues to reduce the number of suicides. The group has been meeting with officials from Marquette University to discuss the clinical aspect of the disease.
Geller-Lesko and other board members hope the potential partnership leads to more thorough research and discoveries within the brain.
“One of the big things that we are doing this year is we are considering donating money to Marquette University,” she said. “Instead of just donating money to organizations started because of people who committed suicide.”
Geller-Lesko should know, based on her experience as a hospital administrator on a Naval base, where she helped veterans returning home, most recently from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Through her tenure as hospital administrator, it reaffirmed the statistics, and made it clear mental illness is nondiscriminatory.
“In regards to the veterans, the Vietnam vets are being treated for PTSD,” she explained. “We were seeing the service members that were coming for Iraq and Afghanistan, there were some very high suicide rates among them.”
While the organization hopes to carry Jamie Wilson’s memory at festival, Just Live has made multiple appearances in other community events, most recently in the July 4 Lily Lake Parade and July 16 Poker Run.
The free music festival opens its doors at noon and runs until 7 p.m.