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Community organizes event in wake of tragedy
RUSSELLVILLE -- A Putnam County community, grieving the death of a young boy, is choosing to try and take the tragedy and find hope and help for others.
When Dalton Thrush of Russellville died on Sunday, Aug. 17, the shock of an 11-year-old's death would have been enough to alarm the town of just 350 people.
But upon learning that Dalton's death was a suicide, residents began asking why and how a fifth-grader would do such a thing. Some of the questions even turned inward.
"I keep thinking, as a community, did we let him down?" neighbor Beth Kashman said this week. "Was he crying out and we didn't know? The (Thrush) family said they also didn't see any signs."
As terrible as they felt, friends and neighbors quickly turned their grief into action. Dalton died on a Sunday, and by Monday evening a community meeting was assembled, with about 45 people gathered to talk about Dalton's death and what could be done to honor him, help the family and perhaps help other young people in a similar situation.
During the meeting, Russellville Community Church minister Jim Elliott said a prayer for a community that was taking a negative and turning it into a positive.
That positive has taken shape in the Adolescent Depression and Awareness Benefit in loving memory of Dalton Thrush, set for this Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Russellville park.
A group of concerned mothers have spent the last month organizing the event. Kashman, Lisa Brock, Nicci Slater, Lori Horton and Misty Wiltermood have gone from worrying they would ever get the event off the ground to wondering where they will find the time to get everything done.
Entertainment throughout the day will feature the Dapper Dan Band, John Stevens Jr. (of "I Think She Loves Peyton Manning More Than Me" fame), Putnam County Star winner Cord Watkins and the Cockleburs. Montgomery County comedian Neil Snider will also perform.
The day will also feature activities for kids all day, a cornhole tournament, free popcorn and a movie, a scavenger hunt, food and an 8 p.m. raffle.
While a day of fun is one goal, education and awareness is another important aspect, so representatives from Bloomington Meadows Hospital, the Hamilton Center and Putnam County Hospital will be on hand to educate people about depression and suicide, as well as to help anyone who might be struggling with such issues.
Organizers hope the event can provide an avenue for other young people.
"I think the main thing was he was so young," Slater said.
"How did he get it in his head?" Kashman added.
"And you hear about these things in bigger cities, not a small town like Russellville," Horton said.
But the lesson has been that it can happen anywhere. If this passionate group has any say, it won't be happening again in Russellville.
Proceeds from the event will first go toward helping the Thrush family finish paying for funeral expenses. After that, money will be donated to programs to prevent youth suicide.
"I think when we started doing this, we were doing it for Dalton's family," Slater said. "But as we've gotten into it, we're doing it for awareness."
Beyond Saturday, organizers hope they can continue making a difference. There has also been talk of trying to organize "safe houses" in Putnam County, similar to the functions firehouses often serve in larger communities. Such locations can serve as a place for children to go when they are in trouble. A scholarship in Dalton's name has also been discussed.
In the end, this group of mothers hopes they can play some small role in bringing issues such as childhood depression and suicide into the light.
"It's one of those things you just don't talk about," Kashman said. "Well maybe we need to start talking about it."