'Hug like Trevor' project raises awareness on youth suicide prevention

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Clovis West mom, who lost her son to suicide, is taking action to make sure no other family experiences the same heartache and pain she is still going through.

In just 16 years, Trevor Bernardoni made a huge difference in many lives.

"Trevor, himself, saved five kids from suicide," shared Kristine Bernardoni.

Unfortunately, Trevor got lost in his own struggles and ended his life. In 2016, Trevor was one of 11 youth suicides in Fresno County.

"Seeing that this was happening, I didn't want them to rely on suicide as a coping mechanism. I wanted them to see that people cared about them," said Kristine.

Two months after her son's death, Kristine launched the 'Hug like Trevor' project. She visits school districts in the Valley with a simple, yet powerful message to students.

"We come here to say 'You matter.' It's important that this generation starts to be the leaders of that so that they can affect several generations under them. That's the only way we're gonna break the stigma," she said.

Students at Justin Garza High School in Northwest Fresno walked into school Friday morning and read signs held up by adults and their peers -- letting them know how important and incredible they are.

According to Kristine, children and teens also need to know there are resources available to them, if they are struggling mentally or emotionally.

Justin Garza has its own NAMI student club, or National Alliance on Mental Illness.

"A lot of kids came to me and signed up and said, like, 'Hey, thank you for starting this because I could finally talk about what's going on inside my house, my head and things around the school,'" said NAMI president Julian Monteil.

The high school's principal said it's important to the Central Unified School District to offer mental health resources on campus because that makes them more accessible to students.

"They have their stresses and their anxiety related to their age group," said Harmon Dhillon. "As adults, we might not take notice of that but for them, that is important for them. We just want to make sure they know they're important. They are here and we have a voice for them, and we'll listen to them."

The 'Hug Like Trevor' project wrapped up the school's See Something, Say Something week, which focused on mental health awareness.

If you or someone you know is in need of support, reach out for help. There are several resources you can use

You can call or text 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or call 1-800-273-"TALK" or 1-800-273-8255.