TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Christina Winner's son, Ethan Ardrey, passed away in 2020. But she is making sure his memory lives on, through the Ethan Ardrey Project.
Part of his memory, has become a tradition in Vail's annual Mental Health Awareness Walk.
The walk is put on through a team effort, with the project and the Vail School District Foundation.
And last year, the walk raised $27,000. This was put towards mental health resources and scholarships for graduating students entering mental health fields.
"Every story is different, but it's nice to connect with them, and also just to hear how much it means to them and how much their family is going to benefit from it. It keeps me wanting to keep pushing for more and more and more," says Winner.
Their goal this year is to clear $30,000. And Ethan's younger brother Byron is also getting involved, helping his mom come up with more ideas to make the walk fun for everyone.
"Everybody loved him and he is a great guy, and it's nice to celebrate him," says Byron.
This year's walk will be held at Cienega High School this Saturday, March 29th, from 10 am to 1 pm.
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Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his college tenure at the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake worked for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is excited to return to a place he calls home and give back to the community in which he grew up. Share your story ideas and important issues with Blake by emailing blake.phillips@kgun9.com.
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