TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — At Cienega High School, the community is coming together this Saturday for an annual mental health walk.
In 2020, 13-year-old Ethan Ardrey died after a mental health struggle. Now, his family is working to make sure other kids and their parents have access to the support they need.
“This is him. Truly him. Fun, silly, always having a good time.”
That’s how Ethan’s mom, Christina Winner, remembers him.
She says her son was in therapy, but now wishes she had known more about what other help was out there.
“I would have never guessed it was ever going to happen just because of how well he was doing. After losing Ethan though and talking to all these people, there are just so many other options out there that I felt we could have done instead of just therapy that I didn't even know about," Winner explains.
After Ethan passed, Winner says support came from everywhere, even strangers.
“Just so kind and supportive and loving when they didn't have to be and that obviously stuck with us really hard," Winner explains, "on the other side of that we had a lot of people reaching out to us letting us know that their children were struggling too and that they didn't know what to do.”
As she heard from more families searching for answers, the idea for the mental health walk took shape. The Ethan Ardrey Project was also formed.
“The money goes towards scholarships for high schoolers in the Vail School District and then it also goes to therapy costs for any kids in the district at any age level," Winner says.
Since then, the walk has grown into something bigger than she ever imagined. “I really hope that people leave here feeling that they are cared for, they're appreciated, they're loved, and that there's a team of community members that really want people to stay another day to be here.”
So far, the event has raised more than $100,000 over the years.
“Even if they feel no one's going to understand, there is somebody who's going to care enough that wants to help them," Winner says.
The walk is set for Saturday at Cienega High School. Gates open at 10 a.m., and the walk begins at 11 a.m. The event is free to attend. There's also a private auction and people can participate in that until 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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