Charles City Class of 1985 reuniting to raise suicide awareness

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Class of 1985 is coming back together in the wake of a tragedy to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention.

Last December, members of the ’85 graduating class were struck with the sad news that they had lost one of their own to suicide. The news sparked members of the class to reconnect with their former classmates, reaching out to each other for a general check-in.

The result was disheartening.

“We found out that we had lost 17 members of our class, but what was even more disturbing was that five of those people died of suicide,” said Stephanie Ewald, an 1985 graduate who now lives in New York City. “That really kind of shook us to our core.”

The loss inspired the class to come together and take action. Members of the class, organized by Sean Bode, have formed a committee with the intent to create a memorial. Since then they have held virtual meetings to decide what it is they want to do and how they want to do it.

Along with Bode and Ewald, the committee includes Curt Joeger, Ginger Williams, Mike Gary, Jill Hoskins, Amy Kloberdanz, Beth Blumberg, Kim Propes and Sue Steimel. Though spread across the country, the group stays in touch with regular meetings to discuss how they can ensure that the Class of ’85 is remembered while making a positive impact on the future.

First and foremost among their goals is the creation of a memorial statue to be installed at the high school.

Right now, the planned memorial is the “Time Stamp,” a sculpted bench to be created by Molly Barrett, another Class of ’85 graduate who lives in Minneapolis.

Barrett is a professional artist who already has one piece adorning Charles City’s Main Street – “History in Shapes,” which was erected in 2019 near the Court Street end of the Main Street Bridge, across the street from the Floyd County Courthouse. She’ll be donating her time to build her class’s memorial piece.

“Time Stamp” will be a large granite bench carved to look like a stamp and adorned with the year 1985 spelled out in Roman numerals. Plaques will be placed around the memorial with information about local mental health resources for those in need of help.

The committee has already met with the high school and staked out a place for the memorial on the grounds.

“It’s a neat memorial that I think means something special to them,” said high school Principal Bryan Jurrens. “Any time we can have functional things outside of our school that can potentially help future generations that’s definitely something we support.”

Between material costs, transportation and instillation, Barrett says they will need to raise about $5,000 to complete the project. If everything goes to plan, the memorial could be installed as early as next spring, once the ground thaws.

“I’m super excited about having another major piece in Charles City,” Barrett said.

Right now, the committee is fundraising by accepting donations and selling T-shirts with the goal of raising $10,000 toward their cause. In addition to the memorial, the committee is also working to establish a scholarship focused on mental health through the Dollars for Scholars program. They’ve discussed holding annual fundraisers, such as walk-a-thons, silent auctions, golf outings, or softball games to support the scholarship in the future.

“We can help a lot of people, but the people we want to help first are the people of Charles City,” said Ewald.

Ewald herself has intentions to take things even further. She plans to start a foundation to help raise awareness and promote suicide prevention, setting up guest speakers at high schools, colleges and veterans groups about destigmatizing mental health.

Ewald said she is all too aware that many people struggling may not show outward signs of trouble and she wants to make sure they know they have avenues for support.

“This is an issue and it’s an issue across the nation,” said Ewald. “We need to check on everybody. Not just the people that seem to be struggling, we also need to check on our strong friends.”