In April 2023, Jordan and Lisa Tabor experienced the unimaginable—the loss of their 15-year-old son, Owen, to suicide. A beloved son, friend, and athlete, Owen was a sophomore at St. Michael High School in Baton Rouge, where he excelled both academically and athletically. His death left a community in mourning and his parents with a profound mission: to turn their grief into action. Just 15 days after Owen’s passing, they founded the Rain Will Bring Flowers Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to youth suicide prevention through awareness, education, and support.
Now, less than two years later, the foundation is making a significant impact across Louisiana, particularly in Baton Rouge, through its Prevention in Every Parish initiative.
PREVENTION THOUGH EDUCATION
One of the foundation’s primary goals is to educate and empower young people to recognize warning signs in their peers. Through a partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the organization delivers mental health education programs in junior high and high schools. The program, titled “It’s Real: Teens and Mental Health,” teaches students how to identify warning signs in friends and encourages them to speak up.
“We’re not asking them to be mental health professionals,” Jordan explains. “We’re training them to pick up on warning signs from their peers, to trust their gut, and if one of their peers is struggling, to bring that to the attention of a trusted adult.”
The foundation has already reached 62,000 students, parents, and faculty across 19 Louisiana parishes, with the goal of training 100,000 individuals. Their efforts are already making a difference, as Jordan recalls receiving feedback from two schools that credited the program with saving students’ lives.
EXPANDING IMPACT
As the foundation continues to grow, Jordan emphasizes the importance of local involvement. He encourages parents, educators, and community members in Baton Rouge and beyond to help introduce the foundation’s programs to more schools. Expanding access to these resources, he explains, is one of the most effective ways to make a difference.
In addition to school-based education, Rain Will Bring Flowers is collaborating with high-profile figures and organizations to further its mission. Their partnership with the Joe Burrow Foundation will provide $1,000 grants to schools for student-led mental health awareness programs in honor of World Teen Mental Health Day on March 2.
They’re also working to modernize mental health screening tools in schools, developing an app that allows students to track their mental health and access crisis intervention resources in real time.
COMMUNITY EVENTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
The foundation hosts several key events throughout the year, including “Planting Seeds of Hope,” a panel discussion that took place in February at LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC). The event featured former LSU and NFL star Ryan Clark alongside student-athletes and motivational speaker Emma Benoit, a suicide attempt survivor who now spreads a message of resilience and hope.
Additionally, the foundation is launching an endowment to fund scholarships for high school seniors pursuing careers in behavioral health. By funding scholarships for students in this field, the foundation hopes to build a stronger network of mental health professionals equipped to support young people in crisis.
Their flagship fundraiser, the “Flowers Bloom Hope” gala, will take place on April 12, 2025, providing essential financial support for the foundation’s initiatives.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
For Baton Rouge residents looking to get involved, Jordan encourages direct action:
- Introduce the foundation to your child’s school to expand the Prevention in Every Parish program.
- Volunteer to assist with training or operational needs.
- Make a donation to support outreach and education efforts.
Above all, Jordan and Lisa’s message is clear: no family should have to endure the pain they have faced. “If a kid like Owen could fall victim to suicide,” Jordan says, “I really believe that all of our kids are at risk. We are dedicating the rest of our lives to [doing] our best to try and prevent another family [from having] to walk in our shoes.”
To learn more or get involved, visit rainwillbringflowers.org.
