Empowering Mental Health Together will take place at Home Base Muscatine on Saturday, June 6 at 11 a.m.
MUSCATINE, Iowa — Editor’s Note: This story contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis, help is available. Call 988 for 24/7/365 confidential and free support. Online services are available here.
Mental health is always important. Emily Eichelberger and Tonia McCullough know that well; both of them have lost family members to suicide. Eichelberger’s brother Jacob passed away in 2020, and McCullough’s daughter Savannah passed in 2023.
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“What we went through, and my family went through and what she went through, I never want anybody to go through that. It’s awful. It’s probably one of the worst feelings you’ll ever go through,” Eichelberger said.
The two women are trying to use their losses to raise awareness for others.
“I never thought I would be doing this every year and trying to help make a difference and fight the stigma,” Eichelberger said.
Eichelberger and McCullough run the Empowering Mental Health Together fundraiser, which helps support mental health services in Muscatine.
“I never knew these resources were available, let alone even existed, because if I had known, maybe I could have saved his life,” Eichelberger said.
“One conversation with the right person can completely change your train of thought. Stay one more day,” McCullough said.
The fundraiser comes just days after a series of shootings in Muscatine on Monday. Seven people died, including the shooter. Audrey Perdue, whose fiancé Dakota Whitlow was killed, spoke about the importance of mental health during a vigil on Tuesday night.
“Mental health matters. if you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out,” Perdue said.
Last year’s fundraiser brought in $5,000 for NAMI Muscatine, and Eichelberger and McCullough hope to raise even more for 2026. The event will take place at Home Base Muscatine on Saturday, June 6 at 11 a.m.
