At Tuesday night’s Allen County Commission meeting, Sharla Miller presented commissioners with a story both personal and urgent. Miller lost her son to suicide six years ago, and since then has devoted herself to prevention and education.
“I created, through that path, a preventative suicide education program, a nonprofit called 13 Reasons to Fly,” Miller said, explaining how her own work led her to connect with Zero Reasons Why, a Kansas City-based, teen-led suicide prevention campaign.
Miller first brought Zero Reasons Why to Iola High School two years ago, where it was met with strong support from students. This summer, she partnered with Southeast Kansas Mental Health and the Rural Health Initiative to expand the effort across Allen County schools.
Last week, Zero Reasons Why held two days of presentations and workshops: Moran in the morning and Humboldt in the afternoon on Monday, then Iola students on Tuesday, divided by grade levels. Miller said the response was powerful.
“The collaboration and the interaction and engaging the kids took us all by surprise,” she said. “For those two days, the stigma was removed.” She added that students in both Iola and Moran — each community having lost a student to suicide in the past year — were especially quick to embrace the program. Humboldt was more hesitant at first, she noted, but has since agreed to take part.
ZERO REASONS WHY differs from other prevention models because it is led by teens themselves. Students work with sponsors and the community to create projects, host forums, and even advocate at the state level. “It actually gives the teens a platform to speak on,” Miller said. “It kind of gives them a voice.”
The program has shown results elsewhere. Johnson County, where Zero Reasons Why began seven years ago, saw its youth suicide rate fall from 10 deaths per year to zero and hold steady for five years. The program has since spread to Sedgwick and Ford counties.
Miller told commissioners that expanding the campaign in Allen County would cost $40,000 annually, or roughly $13,333 per school district. She has already raised $5,000 through the USD 257 endowment to bring the group to schools for the recent two-day event, and said she has about $10,000 in private donations secured toward the ongoing cost.
“I’m not asking you guys for all of it,” Miller told commissioners. “I just didn’t know if there was some way you could contribute. Together, with this being the first year, I think we can pull it together.”
The $40,000 covers not only events and curriculum, but also ongoing support from Zero Reasons Why staff, including a full-time coordinator who helps student leaders organize projects and integrate the campaign into schools and communities.
COMMISSIONERS asked about other possible funding partners, including school boards, cities, and Southeast Kansas Mental Health. Miller said she has reached out to all of them and believes “everyone’s willing to do that.” SEK Mental Health has pledged support, though not a specific amount.
Miller emphasized the urgency of sustaining the program, even as budgets for 2025 are already set. “Already, after those two days, one child reached out to a counselor on the way back and said, ‘I need help,’” she said. “That’s one life. That’s huge in our little community.”
Commissioner Jerry Daniels acknowledged the weight of Miller’s request. “Saving the kids is priceless,” he said.
While the commission did not commit immediate funds, they encouraged Miller to continue gathering support and return with more details. “I would like you to come back and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got $36,000, I need the rest,’” Daniels said.
For Miller, the mission remains deeply personal. “I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t want to be this,” she said, reflecting on her son’s death. “But unless you’ve been through it and lived it, it’s just a story. And I guess I’m just asking how we can make sure these kids don’t become another story.”
