Yellow Ribbon Society supporters ahead of their first parade walk.

The Brown County Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program and Beyond the Yellow Ribbon are two programs dedicated to spread awareness about mental health and preventing suicide.

Their mission is to provide non-judgmental support and instill hope throughout our community by promoting awareness, fostering connections, and encouraging inclusion.

They are community-based organizations dedicated to preventing suicide and attempts of suicide by making suicide prevention accessible to everyone and removing barriers to help. They empower individuals and communities through leadership, awareness, and education. They collaborate and partner with support networks to reduce stigma and help save lives.

The Beyond the Yellow Ribbon (BTYR) program was established later with an emphasis on active-duty and former members of the armed forces.

“Together, we can protect those we love from suicide,” said Jeanne Reed, Chair of the Board of Directors for Brown County’s program.

The Brown County Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program is a chapter of The Light for Life Foundation International/Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program and is the only chapter in Minnesota. Sixteen other states have chapters. There are also international chapters including Africa, Australia, Canada, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

The Light for Life Foundation International/Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program was created in 1994 by Dale and Dar Emme of Colorado. Their son Michael died by suicide when he was 17 years old. The program started in response to teens and adults who were friends of Michael.

They asked what they could do, and the family

said, “Please don’t do this; please talk to someone.” These words were put on bright yellow paper along with phone numbers of who to call to get help.

Teens pinned yellow ribbons on 500 slips of those yellow papers for Michael’s service, and in the end, all were gone. Teens began to mail them everywhere to friends and loved ones. Within three weeks came the word of a girl who got help when she gave the yellow message to her teacher and received help. This started the ripple effect.

Yellow became the program’s symbol when the teens began bringing tons of yellow flowers and tying yellow ribbons in their hair, pinning them on their clothes/hats in memory of Michael and his cherished yellow 1968 Ford Mustang.

The Brown County Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program has been around Brown County for

years. Due to a lack of volunteers, there was a hiatus for about 5 years. Several individuals started reaching out to the program after some community deaths by suicide in January of 2022. The program/chapter was reinstated and is successfully running again.

The Brown County Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program is run by all volunteers. The program’s board is: Jeanne Reed, chair; Dan Sower, designer/social media/marketing; Geri Groebner, Secretary; Jessica Wesselmann, treasurer; and Sue Brandes, board member.

The BTYR program in Minnesota began in 2008 and originated with the National Guard. The first city to be recognized was Farmington in December 2008.

Today BTYR has grown to include almost all communities in Minnesota. The Brown County Beyond the Yellow Ribbon was established in 2010.

BTYR operates strictly on donations, and they encourage people to donate to this worthy cause.

Currently there are four people who coordinate the program in Brown County. Paul Severson, Howard Blume and Dave Borchert are veterans. Margaret Schimmele has family members who are serving in the military. Everyone is welcome to help the BTYR, you do not have to be a military person, anyone can join.

Since 9/11, thousands of Minnesotans have served the country. With the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program, Brown County unites to honor and embrace those affected by military deployments. This includes active duty military, veterans, and their families.

The program creates awareness for the purpose of connecting military service members, veterans and their families with community support, services and resources. The program exists to assist military members of all branches – active duty, National Guard, Army Reserve, veterans and their families.

They work with Brown County Veterans Services Officer Greg Peterson, the New Ulm Armory, and the various veterans’ organizations throughout the county to find those who could use their assistance. The help they offer varies in each case. If someone needs auto repairs or plumbing work, the group works with local plumbers and repairmen, who often donate their services.

“The organization is much more active when units are deployed. When military members are on deployment our group will assist spouses. It could be that the refrigerator or freezer went out and we work with them to resolve the issues,” said Blume.

“We also help out when military members and their families find themselves in financial difficulty. We will help them until they can get back on their own again,” said Severson.

The Yellow Ribbon Society programs are always looking for volunteers and are currently seeking board members. To learn more about the program see their website at https://www.browncoyellowribbon.com/, or Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/browncountyyellowribbon, or Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/browncoyellowribbon/, or contact them by email at bcyellowribbonprogram@gmail.com.

The Yellow Ribbon Society is also present at many local events. They have participated in parades, Brown County Fair, Schell’s brat stand, speaking engagements at schools and local community groups, coordinating a Survivors of

Suicide (SOS) support group, Shine the Light event in September, or the Walk of Hope Event in May. They have also sponsored events at the New Ulm Wellness Center, 2B Continued, Turner Hall, and the dodge ball fundraiser.

They are also working on forming a youth group to get the youth in schools more involved and spread awareness among youth. They also send care packages to those that have lost someone to suicide that include resources, education and support.

The program sells shirts and sweatshirts to help spread the word of “hope.” They also have yard signs, bracelets and decals for free. They also sell sunflowers. The sunflower is the flower representation for suicide prevention. Sunflowers offer a compassionate space for people coping with the loss of a loved one to suicide.

Volunteers of the program are always open to assist anyone in any way. They offer support, resources and education. If you are ever in need, never hesitate to call or text 988 for support. And always remember, “It is okay to not be okay!”

The Brown County Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention program would like to thank the amazing sponsors and community members who have helped run the program.

For more information on the program, check out Facebook at BTYR of Brown County. You can also call Paul Severson at (507) 766-5954 or email him at paulseverson@hotmail.com.