AMHERST, N.Y. — An annual run rooted in fun with friends took on a more somber meaning this year: one of solidarity and overcoming grief.
High Schooler Devin Waring took his own life in December, for reasons his family still do not know. Coincidentally, it was his relatives that started the Penguin Run, a Western New York tradition.
"He had a ton of friends. He loved life. He worked out all the time, he was going to go into the Marine Corps this May when he graduated from Canisius High School. On top of the world,” Tracy Waring said.
Tracy Waring, Devin Waring’s mother, remembers how Dec. 16 started as a normal day.
"He asked me if I was going Christmas shopping. I said do you want to go? He said no, 'I'm going to stay home,”' she said. "The next thing I know, I get a phone call at the grocery store from my younger son saying, 'Devin's in the backyard. You need to come home now.'"
Her elder son had taken his own life. Devin was a promising athlete and student, and by all accounts, a guy with lots of friends and a good life.
"Just normal. Every day. No signs, no symptoms of depression, anxiety, nothing. Showed us nothing,” Tracy said.
Tracy and her family still don't know what they missed, but they want to make Devin's life is remembered with meaning. Coincidentally, Tracy's siblings helped found Amherst's Penguin Run in 1995. Race day was approaching, and her brother suggested opening the race to Devin's friends. She discussed it with her son Owen.
"So I said to Owen, 'Send a tweet out.' So he did. And this is...you see it, this is what we got. It's amazing, it's amazing,” Tracy said.
Calogeno Santora, donning a Devin Waring hat with his initials, is one of the friends who showed up.
"It's awesome. Just being with our friends...his other best friend is right here. His whole family, even other friends from school, other schools. It's awesome. Special moment,” Santora said. “[Devin] was this kid everyone wanted to be around.”
What started as a fun run among friends so many years ago is now so much more. The proceeds benefit Cradle Beach, a camping program for special needs children or those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This year, the run was a cathartic memorial for Devin, too.
"Devin actually spent a couple of times on retreat out at Cradle Beach through Canisius High School,” Tracy said.
Tracy suggests teens look out for each other and ask one another if they're okay because she feels kids like her son may be more comfortable confiding in a peer than in an adult.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255, or the local Crisis Services at 716-834-3131.