Butler Suicide Coalition continues to spread awareness
According to Amy Cirelli, cochairwoman of the Butler County Suicide Coalition, Butler county lost 33 people to suicide in 2025, nine of whom were veterans.
The coalition aims to bring this number down to zero by spreading awareness and getting the word out about their prevention training. With National Suicide Prevention Month coming up in September, the coalition is providing the community with opportunities to address the issue and honor people lost to suicide.
The suicide awareness remembrance rally will return at 5 p.m. Sept. 9 in Diamond Park in Butler, providing a time of support and remembrance for the community.
The coalition will continue its tradition of placing pairs of shoes around the park’s fountain to represent the number of people lost to suicide during the previous year. Cirelli said it is meant to be a physical reminder of the people who could have been standing at the event if not for suicide. This year, 33 pairs of shoes will be lined up around the fountain.
The event will also include a community art project, which allows attendees to make their mark. The project features a painted sign with an inspirational phrase, and attendees will get a note card to write a message of encouragement to add to the sign. After the event, the sign will be hung up in the crisis office on Main Street, so when people walk in, they see those messages.
This year, three speakers will share their stories about their experiences with suicide. Among the speakers are Karen and Jimmy Baker, who lost their son, Jake, to suicide in 2024. Jake was a 22-year-old student at Slippery Rock University. His parents described him as a kind, creative and athletic person.
“He was like every parent’s dream,” Jimmy said.
Shortly after Jake’s death, Karen and Jimmy reached out to Slippery Rock’s football team, of which Jake was a member. Karen said they needed to heal together and let the guys know that it’s OK to let their walls down.
“That room was huge,” Karen said. “A packed room of them crying, cheering and opening up, and we were like, ‘This is powerful.’”
Jimmy Baker was already winding down in his career as a Maryland police officer when Jake died. After making the decision to retire, he and Karen decided to dedicate their time to sharing their story with as many people as possible.
The couple started the organization Jake Baker 27 Fund to share his story, start conversations about mental health and help people build strong support systems.
Throughout September, the coalition will host events to raise awareness and share resources related to mental health.
At 1 p.m. Sept. 12, the coalition will host an afternoon movie event featuring “Soul” at the Butler Area Public Library. Cirelli said this event is focused on mental wellness and family-friendly topics so that children can get an idea of the importance of mental health.
Cirelli also said the coalition is hosting a game night at Your Parent’s Basement on Sept. 25. She said the game night is meant to bring people together and provide a social activity so people can avoid isolation, which is a common symptom of mental health struggles.
“One of the protective factors for being at risk of suicide is being connected to your community, having connection with family, friends, so we see that as an opportunity to build that connection,” Cirelli said.
Additionally, the coalition will hold suicide prevention training.
“There's two different ones,” Cirelli said. “There's QPR — Question, Persuade, Refer suicide prevention training, and CALM Conversations, and they're both geared for people who have no experience with mental health or suicide prevention. So, anyone can take them.”
Cirelli said the difference is that CALM conversations focuses primarily on limiting access to lethal means, such as firearms and medications temporarily until a mental health crisis is over.
“Our stats follow the national statistics that people are more likely to die by suicide with a firearm, and our stats match that,” Cirelli said, “and that's another reason why we started doing the CALM Conversations because it focuses on access to lethal means and limiting that in an emergency.”
The prevention trainings will take place at the Butler Area Public Library, 218 N. McKean St., Butler. The first is held from 5 to 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and the second is planned for 10:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Those interested in signing up for the trainings should visit www.tinyurl.com/QPRCalm26.
Need help? Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
