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(ABC 6 News) – If you notice your kids coming home from school with purple bracelets, you can thank Duck Cup Memorial.
Dave Hruby and Bryan Connelly started the Duck Cup Memorial Fund as a way to honor their high school friend –nicknamed Duck– who died by suicide. They sat down with ABC 6 News anchor Carly Berglund to talk about what they do to honor their late friend. You can watch the full interview in the video player above.
The nonprofit gives presentations at Minnesota schools to raise mental health and suicide awareness. They’ll be visiting schools in southeast Minnesota, including Rochester and the Kasson-Mantorville school district.
Duck Cup Memorial also hosts fundraisers, with the most popular being their Annual Duck Cup Golf Tournament in New Prague, Minnesota. Dave says with the money raised from their first golf tournament, they were able bring a mental health professional to the high school he and Bryan attended.
Ultimately, Bryan says their mission is to create more conversation and break the stigma surrounding mental health issues. A statement on many of the bracelets they hand out says “it’s ok to not be ok.”
More information about their work and the resources they provide can be found at www.duckcupmemorial.org.
