Deer Lakes Hockey Club to hold 3rd annual alumni game raising awareness for suicide prevention

A West Deer mother is determined to fund a Hope Squad for every school district to continue to raise awareness about suicide prevention in honor of her daughter.

Molly Rupprecht is humbled to see an idea the Deer Lakes Hockey Club approached her with become an annual event of coming together. Her daughter, Maura Rupprecht, died by suicide in March 2019. She was 16.

“We were not aware she was struggling. I wish we had known so we could get her to the people to give her the help she needed,” she said.

To keep her memory alive, the Deer Lakes Hockey Club will host its 3rd annual Maura C. Rupprecht Alumni Hockey Game on Jan. 2. All proceeds from the game will be used to help fund a Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program, for a school district.

The inaugural game in 2019 raised $8,400 to fund a Hope Squad for four years at Deer Lakes School District — the program has not yet been formed. In May, the 2nd annual game raised $6,000 to fund a Hope Squad at Valley Junior-Senior High School in New Kensington. There were 61 participants and more than 300 attendees.

“We are so honored and humbled that people are coming to hear our story,” she said.

Hockey played a part in Maura Rupprecht’s life because her brother played for the hockey club. While she did not like the sport, she was dragged to every game, her mother said.

Mental health organizations will be at the game to provide resources for learning more about suicide prevention and how people can help someone who might be struggling.

Jesse Putkoski, area director for the Western Pennsylvania American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, has been involved in the past couple of games. She admires the work the Rupprecht family is doing.

“The Rupprechts do an amazing job honoring their daughter and bringing awareness to this topic,” she said.

Putkoski said suicide was the second-leading cause of death among people ages 10-34 in 2019. The organization is awaiting data for the next two years, but Putkoski said suicide looks to be trending down.

“It is important to take care of mental health in addition to physical health. Mental health is health,” she said.

The hockey club’s goal is to raise more than $6,000, which is enough money to fund a Hope Squad for four years for a school district. Team jersey colors are green and gold for Deer Lakes. Another team will wear teal for suicide awareness. Another will wear purple — Maura Rupprecht’s favorite color.

“I would like to see more districts with Hope Squads and hope they can work together as a big community,” Molly Rupprecht said.