Community honors memory of Aaron Husmann with ribbon ceremony to promote mental health awareness

Aaron Husmann will be remembered at a ceremony this month organized by his family and a local moms’ group to promote mental health awareness among students.

The second annual ribbon ceremony to honor Aaron is scheduled for Sunday, April 21, from 2 to 3 p.m. in the parking lot of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 13600 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie. Aaron, who was in his junior year at Eden Prairie High School (EPHS), died by suicide on April 10, 2023.

Attendees will receive green ribbons to display in their neighborhoods and communities, symbolizing mental health awareness and honoring Aaron’s favorite color.

“The baseball (team), track and field, and other students will be tying the ribbons throughout the communities as visual reminders that mental health matters and that Aaron is not forgotten,” Aaron’s mother, Thuy, stated in an email.   

In addition to the ribbons, the moms’ group will distribute silicone wristbands featuring “text/call 988” and 4Aaron.com – a website Thuy created to honor her son. Cub Foods has donated funds for snacks for the ceremony, and organizers hope for more charitable contributions, which can be made on the website.

Denise Holtz, a member of the moms’ group organizing the event, mentioned they have ordered enough wristbands for the April 21 ceremony. These will also be distributed at the EPHS senior party.

“We hope it will act as a reminder for them as we enter Mental Health Awareness month in May and as Aaron’s senior class (winds) down their high school experience and begin thinking of college or whatever is ahead for them,” Thuy said. “We all know how stressful that time and transition can be.”

The inaugural ribbon ceremony for Aaron took place shortly after his passing last April, attended by about 100 students, families, community leaders, and faculty.

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Since then, Aaron’s family and the moms’ group have worked to raise awareness and financial support for organizations focusing on mental health. Efforts included a garage sale and a Holiday & Home Decor Sample Sale at Eden Prairie Center in the fall, and the 2023 Powder Puff football game sponsored by the high school’s DECA chapter.

These efforts have been fruitful. For instance, the mall sale raised more than $25,000, with $2,500 going to the MN Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the remainder to The Grief Club of Minnesota in Chanhassen.

Holtz, who has a son the same age as Aaron, said the moms’ group, formed last June to support Thuy, consists of friends of the Husmann family. It began with a series of luncheons at Tavern 4&5 restaurant and later focused on organizing the mall sale.

Thuy has received much support at The Grief Club. Members of the moms’ group have helped Thuy there with tasks such as cutting ribbons and contributing to various projects for the nonprofit organization.

“It’s just a way to connect with Thuy on school days and when (Aaron’s father) Jamey is at work,” Holtz said. “We all want to find a way to connect.”

The community’s support extends beyond the event itself. Scheels donated $10,000 to the Aaron Husmann Memorial Scholarship, which will be administered by the Foundation For Eden Prairie Schools.

This scholarship aims to support one or two senior students annually who have been impacted by mental health issues, either personally or indirectly. The first two $1,000 scholarships will be selected in April and awarded in May at a ceremony at the high school.

For anyone experiencing a crisis, please call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or text MN to 741741 for access to trained counselors who are available 24/7/365. If you or a loved one is at imminent risk, contact 9-1-1 and request a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer.