Buffs4Life Puts New Emphasis On Mental Health; Fun Run To Be Held On Campus
June 08, 2018 | General, Neill Woelk, Psychological Health & Performance
BOULDER — For the last 13 years, Buffs4Life has helped former University of Colorado athletes in a wide variety of ways. The group has raised approximately $800,000 and lent a helping hand to dozens of Buffs in their times of need.
Now, the group is taking another step, rechanneling and refocusing its efforts to help in the area of suicide prevention, a national crisis that affects people from all walks of life. (The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced earlier this week that over nearly two decades ending in 2016, the suicide rate in the United States increased by 25 percent.)
The death of former Buffs linebacker Drew Wahlroos last fall — which came just months after the death of CU Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam — provided the spark to implement the change.
"Enough's enough," said former CU head coach Gary Barnett, who has assumed the role of co-honorary chairman of Buffs4Life, along with longtime former linebackers coach Brian Cabral. "We've had nine (former Buffs) since 2004 who have taken their life. One is too many."
Barnett and Cabral — both of whom coached Wahlroos — and Sean Tufts, a teammate of Wahlroos, are helping Buffs4Life refocus its efforts. They have formulated an initiative that will see the organization institute a dedicated crisis line, produce a revamped website that will provide more resources and articles pertaining to mental health, and create a networking program of teammates that will help identify potential issues and lend assistance before it is too late.
"Drew and I were obviously very close," Tufts said. "When he passed away and made that decision, a lot of us were scratching our heads. Rashaan had come not too long before that, and I think it was a real awakening.
"What we know is that suicide is not a one-person event. A whole community is affected by it. We want to make sure that's up front, help people help their friends identify warning signs and get training out to them. We want to help people become more a part of the solution instead of just passive bystanders."
The new initiatives and tools Buffs4Life will provide will require an extra infusion of funding.
"It's getting bigger and bigger every single day, but it means we have to change a lot of what we do," Barnett said. "It means we have to fundraise on a much larger scale."
Two of Buffs4Life's main fundraising events in past years have been the annual Buffs4Life Golf Tournament and the Kyle McIntosh 5K Family Fun Run. Both will be held again this year during the group's annual Buffs4Life weekend, set June 24-25.
But one big difference this year will be a change of scenery for the 5K race and fun run. CU officials have given the group permission to conduct the race on campus, permission that is not often granted. It is a move that will give the run one of the more scenic venues of any such event along the Front Range.
"Boulder's campus is one of the most beautiful campuses in the world and the chance to run a 5K on it is going to be great," Tufts said. "It's a great chance to run or walk on a really beautiful course for a great cause."
The race will begin and end at Franklin Field, adjacent to CU's Indoor Practice Facility and Folsom Field. Current and former players will be on hand to help entrants register. Proceeds from this year's race will go to help former CU volleyball player Amber Sutherland, a single mother who was recently involved in a horrific car accident.
Buffs4Life was started by former CU player and head coach Jon Embree in 2005 after former Buff Anthony Weatherspoon was stricken with a rare blood disease. Embree helped form the organization and shepherded it through more than a decade of growth.
But handling organizational duties has become more and more time consuming, and Embree — now the assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the San Francisco 49ers — has been needing to pass the baton for the last couple of years.
Wahlroos' death prompted Barnett and Cabral to step in and help — and encourage Buffs4Life to put a larger emphasis on mental health while still being able to help Buffs with other needs.
"Right after Drew took his life, there was a big outcry by former teammates of his," Barnett said. "There was a lot of frustration. Why was this happening? Who's responsible? What can we do about it? … Brian and I were both fielding calls. I said to Brian, 'We already have an organization in place, Buffs4Life.' If Buffs4Life could re-channel and refocus towards mental health to help make sure we find guys — former athletes in any sport — who are hurting and then try to find some resources for them, it would be a big help."
The two approached the Buffs4Life Board of Directors, and the new initiatives were soon rolling.
"I talked to Drew's father, Ed Wahlroos," Barnett said. "He was torn up, and still is to this today. He told me, 'Coach, somebody's got to do something about this.' So I told him, 'Ed, I promise you we're going to do something about it.'"
Tufts introduced the networking initiative, a system he picked up from the military called "battle buddies." In essence, there are team "captains" from each era who reach out to players from those teams. Those players, in turn, reach out to other players from their era, thus producing a network that hits every player from those teams.
They are also utilizing tools from the Depression Center at the Anschutz Medical Campus at CU Denver.
"We've trained our captains as to what to look for, what questions to ask and what to do about it," Barnett said. "We have a hotline and resources now that we can utilize. We can immediately help make a referral or make recommendations for the to call someone who we think might be hurting."
The plan is to keep the program growing. Buffs4Life will talk to each current CU team this fall and winter to emphasize that their connection to the Buffs doesn't end when they stop competing for Colorado.
"People from the athletic department will tell them what programs and resources are available when they are in school," Barnett said. "We want them to know what we have for them when they're out of school. We want to be the next step of mental health awareness and healthcare for Buffs. We want them to know when they're done playing at Colorado, we're going to be there for them and their teammates are going to be there for them."
For more information on Buffs4Life, go to http://www.buffs4life.org/
For more information on the golf tournament or Kyle McIntosh 5k and Fun Run, go to http://www.buffs4life.org/category/events/