It has been five years since that terrible day in May, 2009, when the Baker family suffered a sudden and devastating loss that no one should ever have to bear. Just three weeks before graduating from high school, Kenny Baker lost his long battle with anxiety and depression and committed suicide on the railroad tracks near his home in Plainsboro. The pain of his shocking death was difficult enough for his mother, Tricia, her husband, Kurt, and their daughter, Katelyn, then just a high school sophomore. But what made their grief even greater was the reaction of some members of their community to the way Kenny died, the attitude that somehow, because he took his own life, there was something shameful about it.
It was out of this discrimination and hurt that they decided that no one should have to suffer the sting of the stigma that often comes with mental illness. In the days of grief that followed, Tricia reached deep inside her well of sorrow to draw strength and vow that no family should have to suffer the way hers did in the wake of Kenny’s death. In the deepest dark of her own family’s tragedy, there had to be some light, some hope.
This is how and why AIR — Attitudes in Reverse — was born. The mission is ingrained in the name: to reverse attitudes about mental illness and remove the stigma. The name itself delivers a powerful message: that mental illness is like air. Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. It is all around us. The name was the brainchild of Katelyn, Kenny’s sister, who won a New Jersey Governor’s Ambassador Award for the concept.
In the five years since Kenny’s death, the Bakers have become tireless and passionate advocates to educate young people about good mental health and suicide prevention. They want to remove the stigma of mental illness and help people speak freely about it without feeling like they are being judged or rejected. They have touched the lives of thousands of young people through AIR’s programs.
“Coming up for AIR” is a presentation for students in middle school, high school, and college. It has raw and immediate impact because it is led by students who speak candidly — peer to peer — about mental health issues and their own experiences. To date almost 15,000 students in New Jersey, New York, and Vermont have participated in this program, and thousands more will have the opportunity to do so, thanks to the Bakers and their hardy band of volunteers who travel to schools to share their message. There are a lot of nodding heads at these events but hardly a dry eye.
“In Their Shoes” is a traveling exhibit that also moves people to tears. Launched on World Suicide Prevention Day last September at the New Jersey Department of Human Services with Commissioner Jennifer Velez in attendance, the exhibit consists of 234 pairs of shoes. They represent the 234 young people of New Jersey, aged 10 through 24, who committed suicide from 2009 to 2011.
Traveling means packing and unpacking the shoes and hauling them from town to town. The boxes are heavy. It is backbreaking work. But the exhibit is gripping and haunting. It stops people in their tracks and makes them reflect. It sparks conversations among complete strangers who share the powerful experience. AIR created a public service announcement for television and radio based on this exhibit, voiced by real teenagers talking about real issues.
AIR Dogs: Paws for Minds started in 2012. To fully understand the mission of this program, you have to understand that when Tricia is not working countless hours as an educator and advocate, she is a dog lover and trainer. Miki, her Pomeranian and AIR ambassador, won a national award in 2011 — the American Kennel Club’s Humane Fund Award of Canine Excellence — for his work as a therapy dog. While mental illness and suicide prevention may be difficult to talk about, it is really easy to pet a dog. That’s why certified therapy dogs like Miki travel with the AIR team to student presentations and community events, helping to start important conversations about mental health and suicide prevention.
Emotional support dogs can help people with mental health issues. AIR locates great dogs in shelters, trains them, and then matches them with people who suffer from a mental health issue. So far AIR has matched four emotional support dogs with people with disabilities. Roxie was placed with Matthew, whose mother reports that the dog has worked wonders with her son in just a few short months that years of therapy could not. Oliver has helped Stacey overcome her fears and shyness and helped her adjust to a more independent adult life. The AIR Dogs: Paws for Minds program also is working with Rutgers University in a study showing how therapy dogs can have healing effects on children with autism.
With all of this, it should come as no surprise that Miki and his friends are the stars of the show on the third Saturday of every May at the annual 5K Walk/Run for AIR, which was held once again this year, just a couple of weeks ago at Mercer County Park. And once again, more than 1,000 people came out to support this popular event that focuses on physical and mental health — and the benefits dogs can offer.
The Bakers’ goal is to improve compassion and understanding for people with mental illness and to save lives. Through their personal ambassadorship and good work with AIR’s innovative programs, they are doing exactly that every single day, and in doing so, honoring the memory of the young man they loved so much and lost too soon.
