SPRINGDALE — As is often the case, Chris Kirstein’s suicide was a surprise.
Chris was a popular ninth-grader in West Fork when he died in 1994. He was successful academically and athletically, says his sister, Jenni Kirstein of Fayetteville, but had gotten into a little trouble in his final weeks.
The family thought it was typical behavior for a 15-year-old boy.
“We didn’t realize he’d been bullied by an upperclassman as a freshman,”Jenni Kirstein says. “I think the pressures of him being bullied and getting into trouble, it was just a little overwhelming. Looking back, there are more signs than we thought [at the time], but you don’t think that’s ever a possibility.”
Following her brother’s suicide, Kirstein wasn’t interested in going through counseling. She found solace through sports - in particular running, which remains a passion.
A year ago, she walked into the office of the Arkansas Crisis Center and said she and her family wanted to put on a fundraising eventthat would benefit the suicide prevention and crisis intervention program based in Springdale. Thus, Run for Every Chris was born.
The second annual run will be Sept. 29 at Veterans Memorial Park in Fayetteville.
“I didn’t want any counseling; sports was my coping mechanism,” Kirstein says. “Because I’m such an avid runner, doing halfmarathons and marathons, I thought a local event would be fun to do.”
In January, Kirstein was hired as the development director for Arkansas CrisisCenter. In that position, she has been involved in planning the 2012 Charity Challenge of Champions.
The Charity Challenge runs Thursday through Saturday. It features golf and tennis events, a sponsor party, and a gala on Friday night at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers. The fundraising goal for the challenge is $250,000. It primarily benefits the crisis center, and also provides college scholarships for local high school seniors.
The challenge has a history of bringing in celebrities from the world of tennis, and this year is no different. ESPN commentator Patrick McEnroe, a former United States Davis Cup team captain, willattend.
Richie Roberts of Bentonville, who is in his third year as event chairman, says the ability to have casual interactions with tennis legends like McEnroe and TV commentator Cliff Drysdale - who is also expected at the Charity Challenge - has helped it maintain its popularity.
McEnroe’s wife, Broadway actress and singer Melissa Errico, will perform at the gala on Friday. Gala tickets are $100, and cocktail attire is requested.
“I think it’s the proximity with which participants can interact with the pros [that keeps it popular],” says Roberts, a financial adviser for Merrill Lynch. “All the champion names we’ve had in the event mean a lot to people, when you can sit down next to them and ask them a question. You can’t do that at a lot of events.”
The crisis center began in 1985 as an all-volunteer organization that provided a 24-hour telephone hot line for people in crisis, many of whom were contemplating suicide. That hot line, (888) 274-7472, is still available 24hours a day; through Aug. 31, the center had received 6,000 calls in 2012.
The center also offers live chat through its website; ithad received 1,750 chat messages through Aug. 31. It has a Survivors of Suicide program, providing counselingfor those who are coping with the suicide of a loved one, and participates in community outreach and crisisintervention.
For more information about the Arkansas Crisis Center, call (479) 365-2140 or visit
arcrisis.org
.
Northwest Profile, Pages 35 on 09/16/2012