Crouchstock benefits foundation

Concert helps drive to prevent teen suicide

The Daily Advertiser
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Bruce Brown

Michelle Crouch doesn't want anyone to go through the pain and sense of loss she has endured since her son Jacob ended his life on Dec. 14, 2005.
That's why she and husband Kenny created the Jacob Crouch Foundation, which reaches out to help prevent teen suicides through education and training.

Troy Richard performs during Crouchstock on Saturday at Parc International.
Photo by Leslie Westbrook/lwestbrook@theadvertiser.com

"My family says it takes its toll on me, but my life from here on out is going to be hard," said Michelle Crouch. "I'm always going to be sad. But I am helping others."
Saturday's Crouchstock music festival in downtown Lafayette, featuring the Lost Bayou Ramblers, Wayne Toups & ZyDeCajun and Richard Revue, is the chief fundraising event for the foundation. The event raised some $35,000 in its inaugural in 2006, followed by $50,000 in 2007 and last year's $35,000 return - providing more than $120,000 to date to expand the Foundation's efforts.
"We definitely like to help out when we can," said Louie Michot of the Lost Bayou Ramblers. "I knew Jacob in high school, and I've known other people it has happened to."
Michot, who has a 7-month-old son - "another generation on the way" - said his band was asked to take part in Crouchstock for the first time after a Festival Acadien performance.
Troy Richard and the Richard Revue have been on hand for all four events, while Wayne Toups is also a repeat performer.
Funding to the Jacob Crouch Foundation fuels instruction in ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), which is made available free to teachers and counselors.
"It usually costs $375 per person for a full two days of training," Crouch said. "We'd like to continue to do that. We're also in the process of putting that training on a DVD, along with creating a teachers' manual, so every middle school and high school can have access to it.
"The DVD is permanent, something that can be in the classroom. We know counselors and teachers don't make a lot of money, and that they're asked to do more and more things. We want to help the process."
Jacob Crouch was 24 when he committed suicide, but many of the seeds of suicide are planted in turbulent teenage years and teen suicide in the United States remains a problem.
"Unfortunately, the trend is going up," Michelle Crouch said, "although clear-cut statistics are hard to get. Who's to say whether that one-car accident wasn't a suicide? The numbers are increasing, and from our area they're getting younger and younger.
"They're exposed to so much more, through movies, TV and games. It's too much, too soon. They don't have enough life lesson experience. And, they don't realize they can't take it back. It is a final act."
Crouch noted that giving young people the tools to detect warning signs is crucial to suicide prevention, and that "friends should turn to adults for help" if they suspect a friend is suicidal.
"Kids come up after the fact and talk, and maybe they're talking about themselves," she said. "They need to start opening up. There needs to be a dialogue, someone to talk to. And they need to know that they won't be looked down upon if they talk about it.
"The training helps educators learn how to talk about things that they don't think would matter. Something that doesn't seem like a big thing to adult can be a very big thing for a teenager.

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Disclaimer: The content of this website reflects the opinions of the Jacob Crouch Foundation and is designed to provide information for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. If you or someone you know may be experiencing depression or other psychiatric disorders, please seek the help of a trained medical professional.