We are reaching out to personally invite you to an important community training opportunity: QPR(Question, Persuade, and Refer) — a nationally recognized suicide prevention program for adults. The training will take place on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at the Marcus Community Center at 6:30PM. There will be free child care available at Grace Methodist Church.
Suicide has deeply affected our community. We know that every life lost impacts families, friends, schools, and the entire town. The Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition believes that education and awareness are key to working towards an end to suicide in our community — and that together, we can make a difference.
Our goal is to train as many people as possible — parents, educators, community leaders, and community members — to become “gatekeepers” who can recognize and respond effectively in moments that truly matter. We encourage you — no matter your background — to attend. Every person trained makes a difference. To remove any barriers to participation, the coalition is proud to cover the full cost of the course for all attendees. Until we come together to fill this gap in education, we won’t be able to make the meaningful change needed to prevent suicide and strengthen our community.
This is our call to action for you as a community member. Please join us for this vital training. Together, we can help save lives and strengthen our community’s safety net of care.
Thank you for your commitment to our community’s well-being.
Kayla Means, Kayla Schroeder, Alicia Hergott MMCRU School Counseling Team; Kent Lundquist Cherokee Regional Medical Center; Brian Flikeid Marcus Police Department; Lorna Kohn Cherokee Regional Medical Center Derek Scott; Cherokee County Sheriff; Ashley Brady Cherokee High School Counselor; Theresa Berg Plains Area Mental Health Kayla Mayer Cherokee County Public Health And fellow members of the Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition.
If you are in need of FREE child care to attend this event, please scan the QR code or call 712.225.2129 to sign up. Signing up for child care is required so we can ensure it will be available for your family by MMCRU FFA.
Register online by Nov.7: https://go.iastate.edu/OPI0UX
NO COST to participants thanks to support from the Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Coalition. For more information, contact: MackenzieSchellingmldejong@iastate.edu, 712-541-8737