(July 27, 2008)—A group of Baylor students Sunday completed a 73-day, 4,500-mile bike ride from Waco to Anchorage, Alaska, aimed a raising awareness about suicide.

The five Baylor students left Waco on May 15 on the ride, which was inspired by a friend who tried to kill himself because he said he had nothing to live for.

His five friends vowed if 250,000 people joined a Facebook group promoting suicide prevention, they would give him a reason to live.

Two weeks later, they reached the 250,000 mark and by a month's time it grew to 300,000

The ride, dubbed the "Alive Campaign," was sponsored by Ford, and supported by Baylor University's Student Life Services Department.

Justin Brown of El Paso, Alyson Erikson of San Antonio, Nathan Lloyd of Itasca and Andi Nakasone of Okinawa, Japan finished the ride Sunday.

The fifth rider, Baylor senior Kyle Ferguson of Schertz, was injured and forced to return to Texas on June 27.

Alive Campaign Web Site

What’s Planned In Anchorage
(Source: Baylor University)

Sunday, July 27 – The team will arrive at the “Welcome to Anchorage” sign near Merrill Field at 2 p.m. They will be staying as guests in campus housing at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The First Assembly of God Church, at the corner of 15th and C streets, will host the Alive Campaign for dinner at 6 p.m., followed by their Sunday evening service, at which the team will share about their trip and mission.

Monday, July 28 – The University of Alaska Anchorage and Native Student Services will host a Welcome Reception for the team and family members from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rasmuson Hall on the UAA campus.

Tuesday, July 29 – The team will attend a reception from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, 4000 Ambassador Dr., where they will have the opportunity to interact with Alaska’s Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who will speak at the event, as well as community leaders, military personnel and other young people. Contact Barbara Franks, Alaska’s Field Liaison to the Congressional Delegation for the Suicide Prevention Action Network, at bjfranks@anmc.org.

Wednesday, July 30 – The team will stay in the Anchorage area for an extra day or two to sightsee and visit with Andi’s parents, who are flying in from Okinawa. On July 31 or Aug. 1, the Alive Campaign will begin a 4,500-mile drive back to Texas in their Ford van. They will have a few weeks of rest before Baylor’s fall semester begins on Aug. 25.

More About The Riders
(Source: Baylor University)

Justin Brown, a Baylor senior Russian and international studies major from El Paso, Texas, and Alive Campaign co-founder/rider

Alyson Erikson, a Baylor senior film and digital media major from San Antonio and Alive Campaign rider

Kyle Ferguson, a Baylor senior international studies major from Schertz, Texas, and Alive Campaign co-founder/rider (Kyle was unable to complete the ride due to an injury. He returned to Texas from Portland, Oregon, on June 27.)

Nathan Lloyd, a Baylor senior finance, economics and risk management major from Itasca, Texas, and Alive Campaign co-founder/rider

Andi Nakasone, a Baylor junior film and digital media major from Okinawa, Japan, and Alive Campaign co-founder/rider

Additional Information
(Source: Baylor University)

As they made their trek through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Yukon Territory and eventually Alaska, the students stayed with Baylor alumni, who were contacted by the Baylor Network to provide a place for the team to rest and recharge during their journey.

Along the way they planned to film a documentary on the power of friendship, adventure and the stories of those who have battled depression and suicide. Alyson Erikson and Andi Nakasone are both majoring in film and digital media at Baylor.

Early in the process of organizing the Alive Campaign, the students worked closely with Dr. Susan Matlock-Hetzel, staff psychologist at the Baylor Counseling Center, taking it “upon themselves to learn as much as they could about the topic of suicide in order to be better informed advocates for those who had no champion,” she said. The students have taken Baylor’s QPR Certified Gatekeeper Training Course on suicide prevention. QPR stands for “Question, Persuade, and Refer:” how to Question someone about their suicidal thoughts, communications, or behaviors, how to Persuade someone to stay alive and get help, and how and where to Refer someone at-risk to the next level of intervention.

As a non-profit organization, the Alive Campaign hopes to establish a university chapter system to foster a peer support community and to continue spreading awareness and education locally, especially among high school and college campuses.

The students were provided with a van to keep them safe on their journey and also house their film crew and equipment.

On March 11, the Alive Campaign made a national appearance on mtvU, as they hosted the music video show, “Dean’s List,” and spoke about suicide prevention.

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