KENTUCKY — September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness on this stigmatized, and often taboo, topic.

Along with the shifting public perception, many organizations across the country and right here in Kentucky, use this month to spread hope and vital information to people affected by suicide. On this week's edition of In Focus Kentucky, we are sharing information to ensure that individuals, friends and families have access to the resources they need to discuss suicide prevention and to seek help.

Mark Cain is the president and founder of Lexington nonprofit organization Shelby's Way. Mark lost his son Shelby to suicide in December 2009. Shelby’s Way was founded shortly after to honor the life of his son Shelby, but also to bring awareness to the prevention of suicide.

"When I first started Shelby's Way, I wanted it to be more than just lip service and keyboard service. A lot of the nonprofit's organizations out there for suicide awareness and prevention education are just that. I want to take the money that we raised, and invest it back into our community in three ways: Wanting to help people in everyday life, you know, divorce or lack of employment, which is to lose tends to lead to lack of self worth, or depression, and we want to be there for the financial help, that we can give people. Secondly, we want to pay for people's mental health care. I think right now, we have 13 people in mental health care. And then lastly, when somebody does pass by by suicide, insurance don't cover. The families aren't ready like we weren't. We either assist or pay for the funeral whenever the family's needs. We also have education days here, where we train people on what to look for and signs for suicide. And right now, I just started big pushes that has been putting an end to the stigma, you know," explains Cain.