FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A colorful mural lights up the side of the Community Impact Center in Fort Collins — an ode to teen mental health designed by Fort Collins teens.
It’s just one of the many projects led by the Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County , a nonprofit working to prevent suicide through outreach, support, and education.
‘’Back in 2015, we lost two 11-year-olds to suicide, and that really rocked our community. And a small group of people started to gather and say, ‘What are we going to do about this?’” explained Rachel Olsen-Towlen, deputy director for the Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
In 2019, the nonprofit received a federal grant when it joined the Colorado-National Collaborative for Suicide Prevention.
“I think it was imperative because we started working across systems and really started to collaborate,” said Olsen.
Since then, the number of suicides in Larimer County dropped from 85 in 2018 to 61 in 2023.
Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County