The 4RC Community Mental Health Walk will be held on September 28 in memory of 15-year-old Angelina Moreton-Cobbler, who died by suicide on November 24, 2020. The event aims to raise awareness of mental health issues among youth in the community.
The walk, titled “Walk With Love,” will include a three-mile walk, a bake sale, and a memorial tree planting for Angelina. This follows a similar tribute held during a previous mental health walk, where a tree was planted for Ian Wright, another teen who tragically died by suicide.
Jenny Yates, a licensed clinical social worker and CEO of Four Rivers Counseling, LLC, is helping to organize the event. “These were two young people suffering in isolation due to COVID,” Yates said. “Teens were already at risk before the pandemic, and now suicide is the leading cause of death for those aged 10 to 18.”
Although Angelina and Ian did not know each other, the proximity of their deaths deeply affected the community. Yates contacted the families of both teens to create a walk in Angelina’s memory. A dogwood tree was planted in Ian’s honor at Monogram Foods Smith River Sports Complex in August 2022, giving his friends a place to reflect.
“I thought it would be beautiful to plant a tree for Angelina as well,” Yates said. She contacted Angelina’s mother, Sarah Cobbler, to organize the walk. Cobbler has since been actively involved in raising awareness about mental health and advocating for the destigmatization of mental health issues.
“When we hold mental health walks, it brings the issue to the forefront,” Cobbler said. “It means a lot to those who are struggling.” She emphasized the importance of recognizing mental health struggles the same way people acknowledge physical health issues. “Sometimes you feel so bad mentally that you need to take a day off.”
Angelina was a straight-A student, involved in sports and extracurricular activities, and showed no obvious signs of depression. “There were no signs like people talk about,” Cobbler said. “She wasn’t talking about death, she wasn’t isolating herself.”
However, Cobbler did notice that Angelina seemed happier in her final days—a phenomenon sometimes seen in those contemplating suicide, as they feel relief knowing their pain will soon end. “We would have never known,” Cobbler said, reflecting on the difficulty of recognizing the signs.
Cobbler hopes the walk will encourage others who are struggling with mental health issues to seek help. “Maybe this will cause someone to think twice about suicide or push them to get the help they need,” she said.
The $5 registration fee for the walk can be waived by contributing baked goods to the bake sale. Cobbler will be this year’s keynote speaker, and the group with the largest number of participants will receive a percentage of the donations raised. Proceeds will support the 4RC Community Scholarship Fund, which helps cover counseling sessions at Four Rivers Counseling in Martinsville.
The event will be held at the Sports Complex, 1000 Irisburg Road in Axton, from 10 a.m. to noon. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, contact the Suicide Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.
