TW: Mentions Of Suicide
In light of Mental Awareness Month, Converse have partnered with the Ben Raemers Foundation – a charity created by the friends and family of the late professional skater Ben Raemers – to educate the skateboarding community on mental health.
Approaching Raemers two year anniversary since he sadly took his life, Converse x the Ben Raemers Foundation have also joined forces with LivingWorks, a suicide prevention education and training organization. The three have focused their efforts on local skate shops, a central point of the skateboarding community, to raise awareness and educate, offer ways to help as well as encourage community support on a local level.
The collaboration is also met with a US$25,000 donation to the Ben Raemers Foundation, in order to not only keep Raemers’ legacy alive but also help get rid of the stigma surrounding mental health within the skateboarding community.
Converse x the Ben Raemers Foundation have also released a limited edition sneaker in his honour. Inspired by his love of the One Star Pro Mid sneakers, Converse have revamped the classic shoe. The new sneaker features an embossed silhouette of the foundation’s logo on the heel, outlined images of the late skater on the sock liners and ‘SMILE’ printed on the outsole – a nod to the foundation’s series of films in which skateboarders openly talk about mental health.
Converse x The Ben Raemers Foundation shoe retails for US$80 / £75 and is available here.
If you or anyone you know is in need of counseling, please reach out to:
UK – SAMARITANS SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE
116 123
US – LIVINGWORKS LIFELINE
1-800-273-8255
More on CULTED
See also: MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2021: SELF-CARE FIRST
See also: NIKE’S MOST ACCESSIBLE SNEAKER EVER WAS INACCESSIBLE AT LAUNCH
