Kiesler Wellness Center's 6th Annual Walk for Life seeks to bring awareness to suicide

GRAND RAPIDS — “You can come up there and be a part of something bigger than yourself.”

This was the call to action from Cathy Lipinski-Kessel of Kiesler Wellness Center in Grand Rapids, speaking of the upcoming Sixth Annual Walk for Life event in a conversation on the KAXE Morning Show.

Host organization Kiesler Wellness Center is a peer-driven community support program for adults impacted by mental illness. The Sept. 8 event is intended to raise awareness about suicide and mental health in Itasca County.

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Kiesler Wellness Center

Lipiniski-Kessel lost both her mother and daughter to suicide.

“Trying to survive their losses has been an extremely painful and long journey,” she said. “It’s a very lonely place to be. You feel like there’s no one else out there that understands. Until I found the group.”

On Saturdays at 11:15 a.m., the center offers a group for those left behind after suicide. At 4 p.m. Wednesdays, a group of suicide survivors meets.

Mike Garner started the group for suicide survivors.

“I’ve struggled with suicide myself since I was 9,” he said. He believes groups like these can help those struggling by gathering together.

Kiesler is a clubhouse model, meaning anyone in the community is welcome to get involved. Peer support groups are run by those who have had a mental health diagnosis and are in recovery. Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services help build skills and teach skills that intertwine physical and mental health.

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Kiesler Wellness Center

“Trying to survive their losses has been an extremely painful and long journey. It’s a very lonely place to be. You feel like there’s no one else out there that understands,” he said. “Until I found the group.”

Beyond group discussions, the center helps people learn new skills like cooking, pottery, woodworking, gardening and more. They also take groups to area events as well as field trips to Minnesota Twins games or state parks.

The Sixth Annual Walk for Life for Kiesler Wellness Center has grown over the years with community donations and support.

Lipinski-Kessel said, “I walk in honor of my daughter, trying to keep her memory alive so people don’t forget she was important. She lived.”

As suicide rates rise year after year, Lipinski-Kessel said she wants others to know how widespread it is.

“No one is safe from it,” she said. Finding organizations and people who have shared experiences with mental illness can help.

Lipinski-Kessel said the hardest part is walking through the door to get help the first time.

“Once you go into Kiesler Wellness Center, you are welcomed with open arms and no judgment.”

Find information on registering and donating to the Walk for Life here.