Written by Chelsea Xu, University Life Marketing and Communications. Photos by Patriots Thriving Together.
On September 23, more than 300 students, faculty, and staff gathered at Wilkins Plaza on the George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus for the Love Life x Mason Minds Matter Suicide Awareness and Prevention Event. The event was a collaborative effort led by Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Patriots Thriving Together (PTT), Housing and Residence Life (HRL), and the George Mason Police Department (Mason PD). It also featured partners from Student Health Services (SHS), the Student Support and Advocacy Center (SSAC), TimelyCare, and the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being (CWB).
According to the National Institutes of Health, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college aged individuals worldwide and in the United States. The event aimed to promote mental health and well-being resources while raising awareness of suicide prevention support available to the George Mason community. It continued the momentum of the first Love Life event in September 2024, when CAPS partnered with campus organizations to celebrate life and connect students with care.
Assistant Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Calena Creft noted that this year’s collaboration between Mason Minds Matter and Love Life broadened the event’s reach and deepened its impact.
At this year’s event, Wilkins Plaza came alive with music, conversation, and creative activities. Attendees painted pumpkins at the Mason PD table, wrote and exchanged encouraging notes through the “Leave a Message, Take a Message” wall, and picked up free Insomnia Cookies and CAPS T-shirts after completing a resource “Bingo” card by visiting three participating tables.
For Demarcus Merritt, assistant director of Residence Life, the day carried both professional and personal meaning.
“It really felt like Mason came together for something bigger than ourselves – raising awareness, naming resources, and holding space for suicide prevention and community care,” Merritt said. “Every table created opportunities for people to pause, connect, and feel seen. It wasn’t just an event; it was an experience of what it means to take care of each other.”
Merritt shared that just before the event began, he learned that a former colleague had died by suicide. “Walking back into that event was hard,” he said. “Yet it also reminded me that being in community matters, especially when life hits you the hardest. I was reminded to check in on myself, to let others support me in my grief, and to lean into the same resources we were encouraging students to use.”
As the afternoon concluded, the message was clear: well-being is a collective effort. Love Life x Mason Minds Matter showcased how George Mason’s commitment to community care continues to grow – one conversation, connection, and act of compassion at a time. Building on that success, organizers plan to continue the partnership on a biannual basis, ensuring these conversations remain central to the George Mason experience.