Flushing Middle School celebrates first-ever Day of Hope

Flushing Middle School and community organizations came together at Raider Field in order to raise awareness about physical and mental wellness during the school’s first-ever Day of Hope on Oct. 8

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Members of the district’s Hope Squad, dressed in bright neon clothing and high-visibility vests, dotted the field.

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Eighth grade cheerleading coach and Seymour Elementary paraprofessional Krystal Guerra said that Day of Hope focuses on supporting students’ physical and mental wellness and suicide prevention and promotes having conversations amongst peers and adults about those topics.

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She added that one way the community could do to help is to continue to support the schools. Guerra added it was exciting to see Day of Hope come together.

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Genesee Intermediate School District partnered with GHS back in 2024 to launch the program that aims to prevent suicide.

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Genesee County Prevention Coalition was just one of the organizations on site. Employees Hannah Griswold and Alexandria Leatherberry spoke more about the services that their organization provides, like its Youth Action Council. “We work with a lot of girls from Hope Squads all over the county,” said Griswold.

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She also explained that GCPC is affiliated with Genesee Health System (GHS) and their organization also works with the Suicide Prevention Coalition. “SPC has worked really hard to get Hope Squads started in different schools across the county,” said Griswold.

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Griswold added that they have youth representatives that help identify early warning signs of suicidal tendencies in their peers.

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The program also aims to help get trusted adults, parents and counselors involved if needed.

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Griswold said she thought it was important for GCPC to be at Day of Hope because they the work with youth, advocacy, and substance abuse prevention. She added that the substance use prevention is also connected to mental health. “It is important to start conversations with young people about these topics,” said Griswold.

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Jerry and Faith Rice from Flushing Community Church were also in attendance. Rice is the Family Ministry Director at the church. He said he learned about the event from Chrissy Lassetter, who is a member of their church. Lassetter is also a behavioral interventionist.

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“She called me and told me she was putting on an event, and I said I’d absolutely be there,” said Rice. “I want folks to know that the love of Jesus Christ is here for everyone and we know that sometimes folks can view church as an intimidating place and that we are a community church and we’re open for everyone.”

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He added that especially with the topic of suicide prevention, he and the church want to be part of that, adding he knows the topic is something the community has struggled with.

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“We want people to know that we are there for them, and more importantly, that Jesus is there for them,” Rice said.

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He added there are two church services on Sunday and that they are casual. “We have something for everyone at our church, especially for young families that have kids.’

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Faith Rice is a part of the church’s youth group and added that they meet once a week and that they sometimes have overnight events.

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“It’s really fun and people should consider joining because we can connect with people our age,” she said. “It’s really nice to connect with people who also follow Jesus.”

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Tobi Williams, owner of Gym for Her, also attended the event and came prepared with a speaker and cardio drumming kit. The cardio drumming activity was well received by young, energetic children who were able to keep up pace with Williams while “We’ve Got the Beat” was playing. Williams added it was important to support Day of Hope because mental wellbeing and physical wellbeing go hand in hand.

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“With both together, you’re 100%. You have to have both to make your body work,” said Williams.

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She adds that it was important to reach out to youth because if they start working on their mental and physical wellbeing now, they’ll continuously have that knowledge for the rest of their life.

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Originally published at https://davisonindex.mihomepaper.com/articles/flushing-middle-school-celebrates-first-ever-day-of-hope/