by Mitchell Sasser | WeINSPIRE Reporter - HARRISONBURG, Va.

Introduction

In Victoria, Texas, located 30 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, Jodi Yancey Sandoval began to notice a rise in reports of young people dying by suicide. While suicide was the 10th most common cause of death among Americans of all ages in 2017, it was the second leading cause of death among young Americans age 15 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After the suicide of a young person, she heard God’s voice saying “that breaks my heart.” At that moment the revelation came to Sandoval that she had to take action in her community to combat suicide among young people. But how would she do this? How would one community member make a difference?

The Executive Director 

Sandoval is the executive director for Teens Grounded, and their vision is to “build the youth up by providing them services that are designed to meet their physical, social, psychological, and spiritual needs.” Sandoval was also recognized as a 2020 WeINSPIRE Ambassador.  

 “That really set in motion Hope Fest, just the fact that we had so many young people really making a forever decision for what we all know to be a temporary spot in their life,” Sandoval said. Hope Fest began in 2017 and is now an annual event.  

 Live music, entertainers, bubble soccer, volleyball and basketball tournaments and vendors from the community can all be found at Hope Fest. But it’s more than just an event to have fun.

Sandoval said that there are only two psychiatrists in the whole town, and that while there are counselors, some people don’t have access to health care and mental health care. The lack of  the ability to access resources in their rural community prompted Sandoval to create a space for local resources at the event in an effort to share support systems in the community for both youth and their families.

 “Anybody that has a heart for young people, we try to get them to the table so we can try to plan the biggest event we can for [the young people],” Sandoval said.

Hope Fest starts at 10:00 AM with an opening prayer. They invite youth ministries to praise dance, mime, or sing to start off the day and give a platform for them to display their talents.

 Sandoval said that initially God gave her the vision for Hope Fest, but quickly connected her with like-minded community members. Her goal and vision is for the Victoria community to embrace Hope Fest and for it to become a city wide festival with the support of community members on a larger scale.  

 “While people have choices, they can only choose from the choices that are put in front of them,” Sandoval said. “So it’s important for us to evaluate at all times what choices we are putting in front of our young people, and that’s for every aspect of their life.”

 “Are they getting enough physical activity, are they getting the right foods in front of them, are they getting the right spiritual guidance, are they getting the right mental health and health care – because all those things make up who we are,” Sandoval said. “You can’t expect just to treat a small piece of a person and expect to make a difference in the whole person.”

Hope Fest was originally scheduled to take place on June 27. Due to COVID-19, Sandoval said they are monitoring the situation and will not cancel the event, but reschedule later in the summer. 

The Health Care Worker

In addition to her role with Teens Grounded, Sandoval is a Community Health Worker at the Victoria County Public Health Department. Sandoval is currently dealing with the spread of COVID-19 in her community. Sandoval said that as of March 31, they’ve seen their 15th case of COVID-19 in Victoria. 

Sandoval said that the best thing the community can do during this pandemic is to stay home as much as possible. Even though people may feel unsure of what tomorrow may bring, Sandoval said that there is still reason to have hope.  

“We’ve seen community members come together and collaborate to get a community shower going for homeless people who don’t have a place to take showers,” Sandoval said. “If the best way to combat [COVID-19] is soap and water, then we need to make sure that we have access for all of our community.”

Sandoval said the city has placed hand washing sinks throughout the city and the local soup kitchen has implemented to-go food for people to pick up lunches. 

The “Be Well Victoria” initiative, a Hogg Foundation Funded project, is a mental health grant that Sandoval works with that works to “inclusively and collaboratively transform overall well-being in Victoria, Texas.” Sandoval said that it’s “tough right now” for people who suffer from mental illness and that anxiety and depression levels are very high.  

“We’re just trying to share as many free resources as far as apps and other numbers like the Texas Health and Human Service,” Sandoval said. 

In the next few weeks, Sandoval said that she would love to see the number of COVID-19 cases drop and for people to continue the practice of social distancing. 

In her passion for supporting young people, Sandoval said that we often forget how to approach them.

 “A lot of times we look at the behaviors and we don’t realize that there’s not just the physical thing that you’re seeing, but there’s a mental, and an emotional and a physical, and all those things add up to who we are,” Sandoval said.

The World Changer

As the world is going through this pandemic together, it’s refreshing to remember that there are people like Sandoval making differences in their community. Thanks for all of the hard work in keeping the people of Victoria, Texas safe during this time.