Teen mental health Walk With Us event draws almost 800 to Harbor View neighborhood
A crowd of nearly 800 on Saturday funneled onto the narrow pedestrian path to exit Bonita Canyon Sports Park for a 2-mile walk on behalf of the Patrick’s Purpose Foundation, an organization that boosts awareness of the importance of talking about mental health issues experienced by teens.
Those participating in the fourth annual Walk With Us event eventually circled back onto the greenbelt that winds through the center of Newport Beach’s Harbor View tract of homes.
Patrick’s Purpose Foundation was created by the family of the late Patrick (“Patty”) Turner, who died by suicide shortly after his 16th birthday on Dec. 21, 2017. The hope was to not only honor his life and legacy but also to raise awareness of teen suicide and to advocate for societal changes he desired.
The first year after Patrick’s death, his parents Kim and John Turner, wanting to do something, decided to hire the TK Burger truck to come over to the park near their home to honor him.
“We spread the word to Corona del Mar High School students, friends and family and on the last day of school before Christmas vacation about 150 kids, friends, and family turned out,” said Kim Turner. “We got such a good turnout we thought maybe we should create a walk, similar to American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. Now we do a walk every year as close to his birthday as possible.”
Patrick’s feelings in a final message are shared at the foundation’s website, patrickspurposefoundation.org.
”So much pressure is put on kids to do good, and a lot of kids make mistakes. One slip up makes a kid feel like the smallest person in the world. All anyone talks about is how great they are or how great their kid is. It’s all about how great I am. It’s never about the other kid. The kid who maybe does not play a sport, have a 4.0+ GPA, but displays great character ... Nobody can understand what people might be going through. Be nice to everyone, and most importantly be inclusive. If there is a kid out there who is alone it never hurts to sit with them or ask them how they’re doing.”
Michele Bethel, a Harbor View neighbor and friend of the Turner family, became a Patrick’s Purpose Foundation board member as a way to support the effort.
“When the Turner family suffered their loss, the community came together as a whole when Patrick took his own life,” said Bethel. “I just felt having kids the same age it was so important to get the message out by getting more involved and just offering what more we can do to honor Patrick’s memory.
“It’s a unique neighborhood, we all feel so close in here with neighbors and friends involved in similar activities, our husbands even coached together,” she said.
The tight-knit neighborhood looks out for one another with an underlying obligation to lend support to all of the kids in the community.
Bethel explained that the walks have provided an opportunity to talk on a deeper level about personal experience. Participants share why they are there, which she has found overwhelming at times because everyone seems to know someone who has experienced teen mental health issues.
“It’s so important for us to be talking about mental health, even at a young age,” said Bethel.
She recalled a mom who brought her young children to the 2021 Patrick’s Purpose walk. The woman didn’t have any specific connection to the community at large or to the Turners specifically, but she felt it was important to bring her boys to the event.
“Well, I saw her again today after the walk was over eating burgers with her three boys on the lawn and I went over to say ‘Hi’ because I recognized them from last year,” said Bethel. “She shared that since last year’s walk, one of her son’s friends took his life. She said they will come to the walk every year from now on in support and to spread awareness.”
A CdM classmate of Turner’s, Winston Bowyer, now 21, started an official student Patrick’s Purpose organization at Texas Christian University to value life and for suicide prevention.
“When he passed on I gravitated to the Turner family and as a way to turn around one of the worst tragedies, I wanted to make something positive come from it,” Bowyer said. “I met Patrick in high school because we both had crazy curly hair. I was new to the school, and he made me feel welcome and at home and he looked out for me.”
Also participating in Saturday’s walk was local resident Imogen Miramadi. She said she was there by herself this year because her son was out of the country.
“My son knew him from CdM, and it hit deeply for him and us,” said Miramadi. “Now, whenever I drive by the baseball field, every time I say hello to Patrick.”
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