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Little Quick Fire hydrangeas will be available for purchase for $20 at the Celina Farmers Market on Saturday. Proceeds will benefit Area Suicide Support and Resources (ASSURE), a local mental health organization.
Image from Proven Winners
CELINA - For a local business owner, it's not about him - it's about preventing suicide.
Tim Homan Sr., owner of Homan Nursery, is selling Little Quick Fire hydrangeas for $20 at the Celina Farmers Market on Saturday. All proceeds will benefit Area Suicide Support and Resources (ASSURE), a local organization dedicated to educating the community about mental health and preventing suicides.
"I never heard of ASSURE until last year," Homan said. "Suicide is something that's been bothering me for my whole lifetime. I had a high school classmate (who died by suicide). When I met up with ASSURE, I fell in love with them right away. If we could save one life because of this fundraiser, it'd be so phenomenal."
Homan has grown 400 Little Quick Fire hydrangea plants and has pre-sold more than 300. If demand exceeds the 400 mark, he said he has more plants at the nursery. He said the plant's retail value ranges from $50-$60, and he normally sells them wholesale for $25.
"It's a phenomenal deal but it goes for an even greater cause though," he said. "That's the bottom line. Who are we benefiting in the end? It's about ASSURE. It's about helping some kid prevent (suicide)."
ASSURE will hold its suicide awareness community walk also on Saturday at the Mercer County Fairgrounds. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m., followed by opening ceremonies and the walk at 9 a.m. The walk runs through 11 a.m. and the market is open from 9 a.m.-noon.
Tonia Byron, chairperson of ASSURE, had said suicide awareness walks started about 10 years ago. At the time, the group participated in Out of the Darkness walks sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The funds raised went toward national research instead of staying local, she had said.
The monies from the fundraiser will go toward suicide-related costs, such as funeral expenses, cleaning services and counseling, according to Byron. Monies raised will also help fund speakers at schools and provide resources to doctors, funeral homes and churches. The organization partners with Wright State University's Psychology Club and other service organizations. She also said the funds will go toward scholarships available through the Mercer County Civic Foundation.
Homan said he chose to sell hydrangeas because it's a hearty plant.
Little Quick Fire is one type of the paniculata hydrangea, meaning they're popular because they grow in sun, Homan said.
Traditional hydrangeas grow in shade and the bloom color is affected by the pH level of the soil. The plants Homan is selling is different and is not affected by the pH of the soil.
The plants, which start blooming in June, open as a white flower and then turn pink in August. The plants do well in the sun, and Homan advised for the plant to get at least half of a day's worth of sun. It also like "a lot of water the first year," he said. Around mid-March to April, Homan said to cut the plant back to 12-16 inches and it will come back next year.
Tuesday is World Suicide Prevention Day, and September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
Byron said although mental health and suicide prevention are more familiar concepts nationally, there's still a stigma in the area.
"In our area, we definitely have a stigma," she said. "One of the things with mental health is we take care of our own and so people still feel a little bit embarrassed by it. They're still a little bit worried about what people will think. That's not just with suicide, that's with mental health. Part of our goal is to end that stigma and to make people realize that mental health is just as important as your physical health."
In Ohio, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 25-34, according to information from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In 2022, 49,476 Americans died by suicide.
In recent years, national officials have made strides in making help more accessible by implementing an easy-to-remember hotline number.
Those in the midst of a suicide, mental health or addiction-related crisis can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988, which went into effect in 2022.
Though the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has existed since 2005, the new three digit number will allow people to access immediate assistance much quicker.
Although the public may view 988 as 911 for mental health, Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson, bureau chief of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services' Office of Prevention Services, said the two numbers serve different functions.
Active suicide threats, threatening harm to self or others, self-injury that needs medical attention, severe intoxication, inability to care for oneself and apparent drug overdose all qualify as 911 calls, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Talking about or planning suicide, talking about harm to self or others, self-injury that doesn't need immediate medical attention, overuse of alcohol or other drugs and extreme depression, anxiety or other mental illness symptoms all qualify as 988 calls, per ODH.
Homan said anyone wanting to order a plant can call or text him at 419-305-4307 and he will bring them to the market on Saturday.
For more information about ASSURE, visit assuremc.org or its Facebook page.
