JAY — At the Regional School Unit 73 board of directors meeting on Thursday, Jan. 9, it was announced the high school basketball teams would hold exhibition games in support of suicide awareness and prevention on Jan. 20.

Spruce Mountain boys and girls basketball teams will host exhibition games on Jan. 20 in support of The Kita Center which holds summer camps for youth impacted by suicide. Spruce’s Avery Bessey is seen during during a Jan. 10, 2024, game against Cony in Jay. File photo Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Exhibition games against Leavitt Area High School teams will be played at Spruce Mountain High School, 33 Community Drive in Jay on Jan. 20 with the boys playing from 5-6:30 p.m. followed by the girls from 6:30-8 p.m. All moneys raised will be donated to The KITA Center which operates summer camps for children who have lost a loved one to suicide.

“Suicide has greatly impacted our community and the surrounding areas,” Jenna Cote, the district’s Section 504 and special services director said. “The KITA Center provides a safe place for children to work with mentors and clinical professionals to process their grief. It also provides an opportunity for the children to connect with peers who have experienced a similar loss.”

Suicide doesn’t discriminate, Cote stated. “We have had students, community members, staff members die by suicide,” she said. “Statistics show that there are at least 25 attempts for every person that dies by suicide.”

It was confirmed by the Livermore Falls Advertiser that a bus driver and a high school student’s father are among those locally who have died by suicide.

Local agencies and Spruce Mountain counselors will be at the games to share information about mental health and suicide awareness. Donation jars will be available.

“Anyone coming through the door will have the ability to make a tag with the name of a loved one, put it on a laminated poster that will be displayed during the game,” Marc Keller, athletic director said Friday.

The KITA Center, formerly Camp KITA, which operates summer camps for youth ages 8-17,  is building a facility in North Berwick. Since its formation in 2013 it has offered free summer camp experiences in Maine for children impacted by suicide.

Chair Don Emery asked if the district had ever sent anybody to the camp.

“One hundred percent,” Cote replied. “We have several kids in the district that go.”

The basketball players may not have known that some students in the district have been impacted by suicide, are supported by The KITA Center, Cote said. “I think it’s such a beautiful thing, their desire to help kids who have lost loved ones,” she noted.