Since their 11-year-old son Kamden took his own life six months ago, James and Stephanie Ketchell have devoted much of their time trying to help other young students avoid a similar fate.

The Ketchells worked closely with friends and community members to raise more than $3,000 to hire a part-time counselor in the Triad Local School District and hosted a series of assemblies to teach middle school students the importance of a positive self-image.

Those moments, along with their faith, have helped them move forward even as they struggled to cope with Kamden’s death. And each time their efforts stall, they said they have received a kind word or a bit of news that has kept them going.

“I have bad days too,” James Ketchell said. “I have days I don’t want to get out of bed. But I know if I do, I have an opportunity to make a difference.”

The family was devastated in April when Kamden, a fifth-grade student at Triad Middle School, committed suicide at their rural Champaign County home and was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital in Union County. He left no note, and, although there were numerous rumors, his parents are resigned to the fact that they will never know why he took his own life.

Although she said Kamden wasn’t perfect, Stephanie Ketchell described her stepson as an outgoing, sensitive child who loved the outdoors and shared what he had to help others. In one case, family members noticed snacks in the house were disappearing only a few days after they were purchased. When they confronted Kamden, Stephanie said she discovered he had taken them to school for a student who didn’t have money for lunch.

“That’s just an example of his big heart,” Stephanie Ketchell said.

His father said Kamden also wore his emotions on his sleeve. At times, he took negative comments from other students very personally. James Ketchell remembered one instance in which Kamden, who liked to dress well, wore an orange and green Oxford dress shirt to school. But he came home upset after other students had made fun of him, threw it to the ground and never wore it again. At the time of Kamden’s suicide, officials at Triad and the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office found no direct evidence that bullying played a role in the incident.

While discussion of suicide prevention often focuses at the high school level, Molly Smith, chairwoman of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Logan and Champaign Counties, said middle school students are at a particularly vulnerable age. In many cases, issues like low self-esteem and bullying can affect younger students even more than high school students.

“It’s a population that’s been missed unfortunately when we talk about prevention efforts,” Smith said.

Most communities have the resources to help students who would benefit from counseling, Smith said, but what’s missing is the outreach to let students know help is available. Smith said something as simple as checking in with students and asking a few questions can sometimes help.

“If we don’t ask, we don’t know,” Smith said.

The fact that the Ketchells have used the loss of their son as an opportunity to help others has been inspiring, said Rev. Larry Hall, pastor of the Urbana Church of the Nazarene. Their efforts have united the members of the church even more, he said, and have already helped local students in the community.

“I have just been totally amazed at the way God’s grace has worked in their lives despite all that has happened,” Hall said.

It was a month after Kamden’s death that the couple first thought about how they could best honor his memory. They learned the Triad School District had few resources to provide counseling services and began raising money through bake sales and golf outings. Another community member put them in touch with the Union County Foundation, a charitable organization that helps individuals and organizations manage and invest in charitable causes. The organization manages about 80 funds for various causes, said Dave Vollrath, executive director of the Union County Foundation.

In a few months they had raised $3,000, and a counselor began working with students on Nov. 15. The counselor worked with six students on the first day, said Craig Meredith, Triad superintendent.

While the district already has a counselor in place to work with students who might benefit, Meredith said the Ketchells’ efforts will help add a licensed counselor for an additional three hours each Thursday. The counselor typically works with students who get permission from their parents, and who are evaluated by a group that includes a school counselor, psychologist and intervention specialist.

“What the Ketchell Foundation has done is give us an extra half-day a week,” Meredith said of the additional counseling services.

In addition, the family worked closely with the district and recently hosted a series of assemblies in the middle school, one for each grade level. The message focused on issues such as anti-bullying and the importance of having a positive self-image, Meredith said.

“I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the efforts of the Ketchells to make something positive out of something that was such a tragedy,” Meredith said.

Despite their success, the family continues to have its share of struggles. James Ketchell admitted he has made several mistakes in the past but also knows he has to move forward.

After covering the costs for the counselor, their resources had dwindled to almost nothing. But just last week the couple learned their foundation received a $3,500 grant from the Staples Foundation to help with their work.

“When we start to doubt or we get discouraged, God always sends us a blessing,” Stephanie Ketchell said. “Sometimes it’s big and sometimes it’s small, but it’s always just what we need to get us through.”

November is a tough month. Along with Thanksgiving, Kamden’s birthday was Nov. 14, and the thought initially caused them dread. But after several events in which balloons were launched in Kamden’s memory, they came up with a plan to launch Chinese Lanterns instead. With the help of their church and several friends, it turned into an opportunity for community members to buy a lantern and launch them in memory of a loved one.

“It helped us look forward to his birthday instead of dreading it,” Stephanie Ketchell said.

Several who attended the event later told them how much it helped.

“It kind of turned into, let’s open the doors for other people to heal,” Stephanie Ketchell said.

The Ketchells aren’t sure where they’ll go from here. The main goal of their foundation isn’t necessarily to raise money they said, but to work with local schools and parents who have faced similar circumstances. Their job may be something as simple as providing educational materials about suicide prevention and bullying to a school district that requests it.

James said he’ll simply continue to pray, knowing his son would be happy with what they’ve accomplished so far.

“Instead of being resentful of Kamden’s death, I’m thankful for the few wonderful years I had with my son,” James Ketchell said.