Father of son who was bullied and committed suicide speaks out in De Pere

correction: Corrects date of Kirk Smalley’s presentation at St. Norbert College to Thursday, September 26

DE PERE, Wis. (WBAY) – A father is sharing his story this week after losing his 11-year-old son to suicide caused by bullying.

Kirk Smalley will be in De Pere speaking to middle and high schools Wednesday morning and at St. Norbert College Thursday night to share this story in honor of his son, Ty, who he lost in 2010.

The mission is called Stand for the Silent, a presentation on youth suicide prevention.

Smalley wants to raise awareness to make sure this doesn’t happen in your family. He travels the country to share his message, that his son was a victim of bullying.

Kirk Smalley founded an anti-bullying organization. Along with his late wife, he turned pain and loss into a mission to help others.

Stand for the Silent says this topic is reaching children in schools all over the world. This is a national project, but we also have local people making a difference through Stand for the Silent in the Green Bay area.

The more informed parents, teachers and communities are, the better equipped they will be to help prevent tragedy.

This has been declared a public health and safety issue.

In the journal Pediatrics, a new 2024 study shows that suicide is the leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24 in the United States.

Recent research also indicates that the overall risk of having suicidal thoughts is higher among children involved in bullying, whether they are the bully or the victim.

September is Suicide Prevention Month.

The event at St. Norbert College will take place inside the Bemis Fort Howard Theater on Thursday, September 26 at 6 p.m. It will be a great conversation about prevention, awareness and what we can do as a community to make the world a safer place for our children.