Foreman Honored with Missouri Suicide Prevention Innovation Award

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  Shelby County Cares Executive Director Jolie Foreman has been honored with the Missouri Suicide Prevention Innovation Award during the Missouri Behavioral Health Conference. The statewide award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation, and lasting impact in suicide prevention efforts across Missouri.

  Foreman was recognized for helping build Shelby County Cares into a respected model for rural suicide prevention, particularly within agricultural communities. Since its founding in 2023, the organization has expanded access to mental health resources by providing financial assistance for professional counseling, suicide prevention education and training, grief and postvention support, community outreach initiatives, and partnerships with healthcare providers, schools, churches, agricultural organizations, businesses, and local leaders.

  The organization’s work has earned statewide and national recognition, including being featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes, presenting at national agricultural and suicide prevention conferences, and serving as a leader within Missouri’s Firearm Suicide Prevention Cohort. Shelby County Cares’ collaborative, community-driven approach is now helping inspire other rural communities looking to strengthen mental health support and reduce suicide.

Yet for Foreman, the work began long before Shelby County Cares existed. While serving as a victim advocate, she often found herself walking alongside families after tragedy had already occurred. At the same time, her own family was grieving the devastating loss of a loved one to suicide. Watching both personal and professional heartbreak unfold left her asking the same question over and over: “God, there has to be more I can do.” Around that same time, the late Wendy Brumbaugh was writing the original grant that would eventually become Shelby County Cares.

  “Wendy believed our rural communities deserved better, and she helped turn that belief into action,” Foreman said. “Her vision laid the foundation for Shelby County Cares, and I will always be grateful for her faith in this mission.”

  The award nomination recognized Foreman’s leadership within Missouri’s Firearm Suicide Prevention Cohort, her work as a statewide speaker and advocate, and her ability to transform personal tragedy into meaningful community change by building partnerships, expanding education, and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health. Although deeply honored by the recognition, Foreman is quick to shift the focus away from herself. “This recognition is incredibly humbling because it truly belongs to so many people,” she said. “Shelby County Cares would not exist without the support of Missouri Foundation for Health, OpenFields, the Firearm Suicide Prevention Cohort, BMSG, our Board of Directors, volunteers, community partners, donors, and so many others who believed in this mission from the very beginning.

  For Foreman, the award is not simply recognition of one individual, but of an entire community that chose to stand together. “This award may have my name on it, but its fingerprints belong to an entire community that chose to care,” she said. “Every volunteer, donor, partner, board member, supporter, and every person who has stood beside Shelby County Cares has helped make this work possible.”

  While grateful for the recognition, Foreman says the award is also a reminder that the work is far from finished. “Awards are meaningful, but they are never the reason we do this work. This recognition is an honor, but it also reminds us how much work remains. Our commitment is to keep showing up, keep having the difficult conversations, keep reducing stigma, and keep making sure every person knows they are valued, they matter, and they never have to face life’s struggles alone.” She hopes the recognition encourages others to become part of the solution.

  “If you’re struggling, please know you don’t have to face it alone,” she said. “Help is available, and reaching out is a sign of strength. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.”

She also hopes the award inspires more people to become involved in strengthening the   community.

  “Every one of us has the ability to make a difference,” Foreman said. “Whether it’s checking in on a friend, volunteering, becoming trained in suicide prevention, supporting a community event, making a donation, or partnering with Shelby County Cares, each act of kindness helps build a stronger, more connected community. Together, we can continue creating places where hope grows, stigma fades, and no one has to face life’s hardest moments alone.”

  To learn more about Shelby County Cares, volunteer opportunities, suicide prevention training, or available mental health resources, call  (573) 494-2280, email [email protected] or visit www.shelbycountycares.org.