McKenna’s Rae of Hope Foundation was formed in 2017 following the suicide of McKenna Rae Johnson. The incident shocked the community. McKenna’s family and close friends realized the issue needed to be addressed because McKenna was Kearney High School’s third suicide in ten months. Most people know the facts about suicide, and they are shocking. The mission of McKenna’s Rae of Hope Foundation is to prevent suicide through awareness, resilience and social change. We strive to do this by hosting events that teach others to be kinder, recognize the signs of mental illness or problems, start a conversation, and make our world a more hopeful place.
We are constantly collecting donations through donations. We partner with other agencies such as the Central NE LOSS Team, Buffalo County Community Partners, and the Alliance for Hope and Healing to sponsor AFSP’s Out of the Darkness trip. We coordinate motivational speakers at local schools, organizations and events that focus on mental health or resilience issues. We participate in many community events, promote them and provide informational materials. We work with other local mental health providers/organizations to ensure available services and information are up to date and reflect best practice guidelines. We offer free mental health first aid training. We’ve donated $20,000 to the Kearney Public Schools’ #BEKind program and awarded over $20,000 in scholarships to grantees who show hope (helping others every day) and to those pursuing careers in mental health programs.
We hope to one day work with local authorities to address community needs, including possible mental health crisis centres. We really just want everyone to know that it’s okay to be bad, that someone can listen and help. Thank you for supporting our foundation – MCKENNA’S RAE OF HOPE!
The foundation works to ease the financial burden on students in the region who need professional counseling services. Please consult your school advisor for more information on applying for support to meet these needs.