JAY — As of Jan. 23, the amount raised for suicide awareness during two basketball games on Jan. 20 was more than $9,000.

Girls basketball players from Leavitt Area and Spruce Mountain high schools present a check to representatives from The Kita Center on Monday evening, Jan. 20, during a break in games held at the Phoenix Nest in Jay. Pictured from left are Daelyn Clark, Anniston Jones, Avery Bessey, Riley Small, Caitlyn McCoy, Kaitlyn Sirois, and Stacey Jenkins and Alyssa Goodwin from The Kita Center. More than $9,000 was raised for the center. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

Boys and girls basketball teams from Spruce Mountain and Leavitt Area high schools would support The Kita Center at the games, it was announced at the Jan. 9 Regional School Unit 73 board of directors meeting. Students and staff in Spruce Mountain schools have been impacted by a loved one’s death by suicide, it was noted then, with many students having attended Camp Kita. Formed in 2013, camps around Maine have been rented but a permanent facility on Loon Pond in Acton is in the works.

Before the girls game Monday evening, Spruce Mountain athletes spoke with the Livermore Falls Advertiser.

Jenna Cote at left and her son, Carter, both of Livermore, purchase items from Marc Keller, athletic director for Spruce Mountain High School Jan. 20 during a suicide awareness and prevention fundraiser held at the school in Jay. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

There is not a lot of attention on it, Maddie Grimaldi said when asked why the teams wanted to raise awareness about suicide.

“It’s a good opportunity to show support for mental health,” Avery Bessey noted.

“It’s not spoken of a lot, not directly,” Riley Small added.

Boys and girls basketball athletes and coaches from Spruce Mountain High School in Jay and Leavitt Area High School in Turner are seen Jan. 20 in a group photo during a break in basketball games held in Jay. The teams held a fundraiser for The Kita Center during the games. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

No set goal had been set for the fundraiser, but the girls were looking to see how much they could raise.

Jenna Cote and her son, Carter, both of Livermore were choosing special T-shirts to purchase. “Carter goes to Camp Kita and my daughter does, too,” she said.

Spruce Mountain High School senior Avery Ryder was busy putting contact information on raffle tickets while another senior, Hannah Perkins looked on. There were a number of baskets attendees could try to win.

Superintendent Scott Albert was also among the many administrators and staff showing their support for the fundraiser.

Spruce Mountain High School senior Hannah Perkins watches as senior Avery Ryder adds contact information to raffle tickets Jan. 20 during basketball games held at the school in Jay. The games raised over $7,700 with the total over $9,000 as of Jan. 23 for children who have lost a loved one to suicide. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

“We are happy to report that with the games, concessions and raffle baskets they raised more than $7,000 for Camp Kita,” Skylar Condon, a student representative to the board stated at the Jan. 23 meeting. “It costs about $500 for each person … so that will cover about 15 to go.”

“That is pretty awesome,” Director Andrew Sylvester of Livermore said. “You raised $7,000 for 15 camp memberships. You should be very much applauded.”

Later TJ Plourde, high school principal said more money had come in. “We are a little over nine grand now,” he noted. “It was a really good event. We got that mostly yesterday and this morning. Just super proud of the community that we live in. The amount that people give is always above and beyond what anybody could expect from a community. I am just really happy with that.”