It started with a game of catch.
Bobby Hines and Jason Stillwell knew each other in high school — the way a lot of us know people we eventually lose touch with. Years later, Bobby was working at Sandy's Restaurant in Blue Springs when Jason walked in, picked up a ball, and the two of them just started throwing. Jason was in the middle of his own mission at the time: playing catch every single day for a year to raise awareness for suicide prevention, after losing his father.
That afternoon reignited a friendship. And when Bobby lost his brother not long after, Jason showed up at the restaurant four and five times a week — not with advice, not with a plan, just to listen.
Those conversations became the seed of what is now the You Matter Movement.
Some organizations are built around an idea. This one was built around a friendship and a promise never to let someone struggle alone. What began as two guys handing out stickers and bracelets and making the tough phone calls nobody else wanted to make has grown into a real nonprofit based in Independence and serving families across Eastern Jackson County — all of it carrying one message: you matter, your life matters, and you are never alone.
What they actually do
The organization's work centers on three areas: crisis intervention, addiction support, and mental health resources. In practice, that means showing up for people in the middle of a hard moment, connecting them with recovery and treatment options, and building a space where someone can ask for help without shame attached to the asking. The statistics they cite — the rate of suicide loss, the share of people who never seek treatment at all — explain why the second part matters as much as the first.
What I appreciate most is that this isn't an organization that only talks about making a difference. They're actively doing it.
Their newest initiative is Second Chance Supply, co-founded with Wes Cauveren. It sources donated goods, pallet auction finds, and estate sale items, then resells them to fund the nonprofit's community work. It runs out of a physical hub in Independence that doubles as a shared space where local nonprofits can pool resources and collaborate — and whenever an item can go straight to a nonprofit partner instead of onto the shelf, that's exactly where it goes. You can browse the inventory on Facebook Marketplace or stop by one of their monthly garage sales.
It's a genuinely creative model: it funds the mission, it keeps usable goods out of the landfill, and it strengthens the other organizations working alongside them.
The people behind it
Bobby now serves as Co-Founder and President. He's spent years serving the Blue Springs community and was recognized as the Truman Heartland Community Foundation Citizen of the Year for that work. Jason serves as Vice President, having turned the loss of his father into a mission of hope — that year of daily catch was never really about baseball. It was about giving people an easy reason to start a hard conversation.
The board around them reads like a cross-section of the Kansas City area: a bank vice president, a police community engagement officer, small business owners, and volunteers covering finance, outreach, and fundraising. Nearly all of them carry their own experience with grief, addiction, or mental health struggles into the work. That's not incidental. It's the whole point.
Why it matters here
Mental health touches every family in one way or another. Whether someone is battling depression, walking through addiction, grieving a loss, or simply feeling overwhelmed and unsure who to tell — knowing there's a local organization ready to listen can make all the difference.
How to get involved
There are a few easy ways in:
Donate directly through their site, including a recurring $9.88 monthly gift — a nod to the 988 crisis line.
Volunteer. Fill out the form on their Get Involved page and tell them how you'd like to help.
Shop Second Chance Supply on Facebook Marketplace or at a monthly garage sale.
Share their story with someone who needs to hear it, and follow them on Facebook.
As someone who believes strong communities are built by people who look out for one another, I'm glad to spotlight organizations like this one. They're a reminder that sometimes the most important thing any of us can do is show up, listen, and let someone know they aren't alone.
Learn more at UMatterMovement.org.
And if you or someone you know is struggling right now, you can call or text 988 anytime, day or night.