Redmond family wants son’s life to help save other teens

A Central Oregon teenager’s unexpected death is now being used to change the lives of other teenagers who might be thinking about suicide.

On Dec. 14, 2017, Hunter Holmes, a 16-year-old Redmond High School student died by suicide.
Friday was Hunter’s birthday, and this past weekend, just five months after their son’s death, his family honored his life with a golf tournament to raise money for teenagers like him.

Hunter’s father, Travis Holmes, never saw it coming.

“He was a fantastic kid. He helped others. I just didn’t worry about him,” Holmes said Friday.

But five months after Hunter’s suicide, this is what he wants people to know:

“Just don’t think you’re out of the woods. Keep talking to your kids. Find out what’s going on.”

Last Saturday, Holmes and his family raised more than $8,000 at the Hunter Holmes Memorial Golf Tournament Fundraiser.

“We’re processing loss, and we’re processing love and support from our community, and it’s hard to process. I’ve got to be honest, it’s one day at a time,” Holmes said.

The money raised will be used on efforts to prevent teen suicide.

“The whole idea of this is to make sure it doesn’t happen to someone else,” Holmes said.

A video dealing with the mounting pressures faced by teenagers and how to handle them is already in the works. And a scholarship fund has been set up for students who exhibit characteristics similar to ones Hunter possessed — empathy and compassion.

“At the celebration of life, students that we had no idea who they were, they stood up and said, ‘Hunter was one of the kids who talked to me,’ and ‘I had no one to talk to. I was coming from a different school. Hunter was one of the kids that came up and said, “Hey man, what’s going on?”” Holmes said.

Before his death, Hunter had two back-to-back concussions, so his family also wants to raise awareness about the risks associated with the injury and its possible connection with suicide.

But mostly, Hunter’s family wants to just make a difference.

“It’s not anything you’re prepared for, that you envision your life is going to take on. But here we are,” Holmes said. “It’s sort of like, it fell on us, and we’re going to do our part to make sure another kid has help through just a moment, an impulsive moment, — just to get through that moment. That’s what we’re hoping for.”.

For more information:

hhmemorialfund@yahoo.com
Facebook – Hunter Holmes Memorial Golf Tournament
PO Box 57
Redmond, OR 97756
Donations also are accepted at Selco Community Credit Union, Account #616333