Soul's Lacey Playing for Deeper Cause
July 18, 2014 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA (July 18, 2014) - Some look at football as just a game. For others, football becomes a career. For kids and teens, football can often be an outlet - even an escape; a way to clear their mind from everything life is throwing at them.
That's why the Arena Football League has partnered with the Jason Foundation to promote awareness and aid in the prevention of teen suicide. Jason Flatt was a brother, son and friend to many, but on July 16, 1997, he became a statistic of the silent epidemic that is youth suicide. The Jason Foundation was created in his honor and dedicated to educating people on a health epidemic that is taking more than 100 of our nation's youth each week.
AFL Communications has spent the last several weeks speaking with players around the League about their roles in promoting the well-being of youth. As a part of "Jason's Week", Philadelphia Soul wide receiver V'Keon Lacey shared his story about football and suicide prevention.
In addition to his role in Jason's Week, Lacey actively participates in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Out of the Darkness Walks. The AFSP brings together families, friends, colleagues and supporters for a 3-5 mile walk to help bring awareness to the community about teen suicide. Through his participation in the AFSP, he is providing support for those who still have the chance to save a family member, a friend, and others from the silent epidemic.
This cause is important to V'Keon because it hits close to home. He lost his sister in 2012 at the age of 18 due to this epidemic.
"I make sure that she is with me every day," Lacey said. "I have a tattoo of her on my right arm and when I go through tough times I look down to my arm and see her looking back up at me and it makes me work harder."
Lacey takes his role as a professional athlete seriously and now uses his platform in the AFL to demonstrate the positive impact football can have on youth.
"It shows others no matter what, you are able to do what you love and use your past experiences to help you succeed in the future," Lacey said. "Football shows how much fun it is to be a part of something. Your team can become your family."
No matter the struggle, Lacey says the sport he loves and his football family has helped him get through.
"It taught me how to work well with others, handle pressures, and to realize the bigger picture and not focus on my own personal needs," he said. "We are a family and we all support each other, no matter what."
Youth suicide is a silent epidemic. Lacey says we may not always know a person's family situation or what else might be going on in their personal lives. He says football can allow the mind to be cleared of the stressors of life and believes the sport continually impacts his life by making him look adversity in the face and overcome it.
'Is there anything you can say to those struggling?' That's a difficult question to answer. There may not always be words of advice and there isn't only one solution because people cope in different ways.
"Suicide is a mystery and to try to understand why someone did what they did is like trying to shovel smoke," says Lacey.
Together we can work towards providing our youth with a promise for tomorrow. Together we can work towards solving the mystery. Together we can help kids and teens live out their dreams.
For more information about the Jason Foundation and youth suicide education and prevention, visit www.jasonfoundation.com.
Arena Football League Stories from July 18, 2014
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- Storm Shuffles Roster - Tampa Bay Storm
- Week 19 Preview: Sharks at Gladiators - Jacksonville Sharks
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