CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Just over three years ago, Clarksville teenager Caleb Slate was taken from his family and the world when he died from suicide. From that loss came a nonprofit organization, the Caleb Cares Project, to keep his memory alive and spread love through the community that misses him.
Caleb passed away at the age of 17 on Aug. 12, 2019. He attended Northeast High School and would have been a senior with all of the big dreams and plans that go along for someone in their last year of high school.
Caleb’s mother, Christina, his father Joe, and sisters Samantha and Jordyn have been busy making sure the Caleb Cares Project is doing all it can to show people that they believe you are a big deal around here.
“Caleb was an amazing young man with a very big heart, a very soft spirit, and he was a friend to everyone. He never met a stranger, he helped in the community, he had a lot of friends and was an all-around really great kid,” Christina said.
What Caleb Cares does
The Caleb Cares Project provides weekend food bags to the Lincoln Homes Head Start Program and works with the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Action Agency supporting other Head Start groups.
Remembering that Caleb was a lifeguard with the City of Clarksville and Morale, Welfare and Recreation at Fort Campbell, the Caleb Cares Project is the sponsor of the Caleb Cares Swim League hosted by Clarksville Parks & Recreation.
The second annual Caleb Cares Project 5K is set for Oct. 1 at West Creek High School, and Christina said all of the money raised from the event goes back into the community.
Spreading the word
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, but Christina said every day is a suicide awareness day for her.
“You never know what your child might say when you ask them if they have had thoughts of ending their life, or if they think they would be better off dead, or if they think they are too much of a burden to anyone,” Christina said.
Christina also wanted the community to know that she and her husband are starting a local support group for bereaved parents. The hope is to share healthy ways of grieving and coping with the pain and sorrow that comes with the loss of a child.
To learn more about the support group, and about the Caleb Cares Project, visit thecalebcaresproject.com or email joechrisys@gmail.com.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, call 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Calls are free, confidential and answered 24/7.
Giving Grace, sponsored by Grace Dental, is an ongoing Clarksville Now series showcasing local nonprofit organizations.