The Project Wake Up Board of Directors
PROJECT WAKE UP
OUR INSPIRATION
On June 19, 2014, our dear friend Ryan Joseph Candice took his own life; just two weeks shy of his 21st birthday.
Ryan was one of the most warm-hearted, welcoming guys. His inclusiveness made him immensely popular on campus, and his kindness made you feel lucky to call him a friend. He was the life of the party; everyone's best friend. As an international business major at the University of Missouri, he was smart, well respected, and determined. He had an incredibly bright future ahead of him. Ryan was the last person that anyone would expect to die by suicide.
No one saw it coming.
A man who seemingly had it all, Ryan exemplifies the fact that mental illness does not discriminate and you never know what battles people may secretly be fighting. The stigma keeps so many from reaching out for the help they desperately need.
Unfortunately, Ryan is one of many.
Over 44,000 Americans take their lives each year. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for Americans ages 10-24. It has become increasingly prevalent due in part to inadequate access to resources and the stigma surrounding mental illness that keeps so many from seeking help.
OUR JOURNEY
In September of 2014, three months after Ryan died, we decided to try and turn the tragic situation around into a positive, inspiring one. We dreamt of making a documentary film that would not only ensure that the memory of Ryan would never fade, but would also actively encourage awareness and prevention of suicide by exploring and exposing the inadequacies in the way mental health is talked about, funded, and legislated.
A group of over 20 of Ryan's closest friends, family, and students at the University of Missouri came together and began working diligently; planning out every step and researching every appropriate move to make a documentary film that addresses the stigma surrounding mental illness and the growing suicide epidemic in the United States.
To date we are a federally recognized 501(c)3 that has raised over $300,000 towards the production of our documentary. We began filming Winter 2017 and wrapped in Spring 2019.
ALEX LINDLEY, founder, Executive Producer
Alex Lindley is an attorney at McCarthy Leonard & Kaemmerer, L.C. in St. Louis, MO and is the President of Project Wake Up. Alex founded Project Wake Up in 2014 in response to the suicidal deaths of two dear friends. Project Wake Up is a federally recognized 501(c)3 devoted to hosting large awareness/fundraising events to support their main programs: production of captivating mental health media and providing scholarship relief for students pursuing careers in mental health social work.
Alex graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and earned his Juris Doctorate from Saint Louis University in 2018.
Danny kerth, VP, Executive producer
Danny Kerth is an account supervisor at FleishmanHillard and the Vice President of Project Wake Up. An expert in media relations, brand social media and executive visibility, Mr. Kerth has been with FleishmanHillard for five years, serving clients in both the B2C and B2B realms developing integrated marketing campaigns, boosting executives’ public visibility and providing strategic counsel. After losing his father to suicide in 2002, Mr. Kerth joined Project Wake Up as a member of the core fundraising team, helping coordinate events, develop grant proposals and expand visibility through media interviews. He is an executive producer on the documentary and lives in the City of St. Louis.
