Remembering Ethan Ardrey: Vail community's rescheduled walk for mental health awareness set for Saturday

VAIL, Ariz. (KGUN) — Christina Winner works everyday to keep her son, Ethan Ardrey's memory alive.

Ethan took his own life in late 2020, but his family has worked through the Ethan Ardrey Project to spread mental health awareness.

Between the project and the Vail School District Foundation, the community is rallying around the memory of Ethan for a walk Saturday at Cienega High School.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. groups from all over the Tucson area will come out in support of the family and mental health awareness.

The event will donate 100% of money raised for mental health resources within the school district.

Last month Winner let KGUN 9 into her home for the first timefor "a sit-down interview to reflect on the past four years and the progress they have made with the Vail community."

And in a conversation Thursday, Winner said the support she has seen from the community is incredible.

"It's overwhelming. It's super emotional, because people are so genuine," Winner said.

Her goal is to spread more awareness for resources within the community, so more people can be prepared.

"If we don't teach them these things, and they're not educated on these things, they don't know how to respond to it. They don't know how to act to it," Winner said. "Whose to say that you don't have a friend or a cousin or anybody, a coworker later down the road that might need some assistance."

Meghan Price, a counselor at Old Vail Middle School, said she is optimistic about having more conversations in their community.

"That would be my biggest hope is opening those doors and opening those lines of communication," Price said.

Details on the fundraiser can be found here.