MARYVILLE, Mo. (KQTV) — What started as a small fundraiser in honor of a beloved sister has grown into a community-wide mission to break the stigma surrounding mental health.
Malainee Montgomery never imagined she’d become a spokesperson for mental health awareness, but after losing her sister Bailey, she found her voice.
“Bailey was my sister growing up, we were really close, pretty much yin to my yang,” Montgomery said. “She was very loud and outgoing. And believe it or not, as I’m standing here with a microphone, I’m very quiet and reserved. So through the loss of her, I have found my voice in helping speak out and share resources for mental health.”
That mission took a major step forward recently when Baylee’s Blessing hosted its annual mental health training day in partnership with Preferred Health.
The event, held locally, drew 32 participants, far exceeding Montgomery’s expectations.
“I thought we’d be lucky to get like 12 to 15,” she admitted. “If one person would have arrived, it would have been worth it to me.”
The training focused on practical skills for helping those in mental health crisis, including QPR—Question, Persuade, and Refer—which offers participants a certification valid for one year.
“It’s teaching individuals how to have conversations with someone who is in an active crisis, or trying to assess if they’re in active crisis and the language to use to help get them the help they need and persuade them to stay another day,” Montgomery explained.
The approach resonated with Aaron Saxton, a 911 dispatcher and firefighter with the Maryville Fire Department who attended to support his wife, a mental health nurse practitioner and Montgomery’s best friend.
For Saxton, the training hit close to home professionally.
“You know, taking 911 calls and this training, I learned that I could use better words,” Saxton said. “How to talk to people in a crisis situation.”
He noted that first responders often handle mental health differently, but that’s changing.
“In the emergency services, we lean on each other quite a bit,” Saxton said. “In the past couple years, we’ve done more debriefings after hard calls. I feel like they’re giving more attention to our mental health.”
Montgomery was particularly encouraged by the diversity of attendees, especially the presence of middle-aged men.
“My heart’s definitely in the rural community, being born and raised in the rural community, and then my husband works construction, so having that heart for the demographic,” she said. “Middle-aged men is the higher demographic. Being able to see that we actually had participants willingly come on their own, that was amazing.”
Saxton acknowledged that men in high-stress professions can be resistant to opening up, but events like this break through barriers.
“They are very knowledgeable in what they’re teaching here,” he said. “Coming here with tough skin, they get under your skin a little bit. They find your soft spot.”
Baylee’s Blessing began nine years ago with Bailey’s Blessing Day, a fundraiser for the New Nodaway Humane Society in Maryville, a cause close to Bailey’s heart since she loved animals.
That effort has grown substantially over the years, helping an organization where 80% of funding comes from donations and fundraisers, raising around $25,000 since 2018.
More recently, the organization expanded its reach with “lucky ducks” that visit workplaces spreading kindness, anonymous kindness cards left in public places with positive messages, and workplace presentations sharing mental health statistics and resources tailored to specific industries.
Wednesday’s training was the culmination of that evolution, free to all participants, including donated snacks and beverages, with the sole focus on education and awareness.
For Montgomery, the work is deeply personal, but it’s also about preparing the community for conversations that many find uncomfortable.
“These conversations and the language gives people confidence to be able to have the conversation, because anybody could be put in the position to have a mental health conversation with someone,” she said. “For me, it gave me the confidence to be able to know that I was using the correct language, or the confidence to be like, I’m doing it the proper way.”
Her guiding philosophy is simple.
“See a need, fill a gap. This is definitely a big need, and here we are trying to fill the gap.”
Based on feedback from attendees, Bailey’s Blessing is considering hosting similar events quarterly or yearly.
Updates will be posted on the organization’s Facebook page
Montgomery leaves potential attendees with this thought: “Anyone in your circle can be struggling. Having meetings like this, it isn’t an ‘if’ you’re going to need them. Someone in your circle is struggling. Learn how to do it now so that when it does occur, you’re prepped and ready.”
