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After local teen dies by suicide, his family's donation creates free mental health workshops

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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — 16 year-old Jacob Kamis had so much to live for.

He was a talented photographer, volleyball player and baker, who loved to travel and even knew how to fly planes. But it's his positive spirit that was infectious.

“He was so funny. He wanted to make everybody laugh. He was the life of the party,” explained Katherine Alano, Jacob’s mom.

She adds that Jacob loved to dance, had great taste in fashion and a smile that lit up any room.

But deep down, he also struggled with mental illness. Katherine tells ABC Action News Jacob was diagnosed a few years ago with severe depression with suicidal ideology.

“I think it was a cry for help. He was Baker Acted. He told one of the school counselors that he wanted to kill himself. So that was, that was the start of it,” said Alano.

That is when the family immediately searched for all forms of mental health assistance, but Jacob continued to struggle.

“We tried to give him all the help that we could. He was seeing a therapist. We were going to RODBT classes. He had two psychiatrists,” explained Alano. She adds, “He just kept saying, you know, I should be happy. But I'm not happy. I don't know why. I don't know why I'm sad. And he that's all he kept saying."

Jacob’s dad Jeff Kamis says he felt helpless at times, knowing there was no quick fix for this often-invisible illness.

“You can't put a Band-Aid on it. You can't just hug them and kiss them and give them love and it's just going to go away. That's the horrible, scary thing about this disease is that it isn't a simple fix. It's not like medicine can fix mental illness or depression,” said Kamis.

But Kamis says Jacob continued to work hard to battle through the darkness of depression.

“He didn't let the illness define who he was as a person. He fought it. He did everything he could to do everything he could to find out why it was happening and to figure out how to get better. I mean, he was sick. And so, he did everything he could. And I'll always be so proud of him for being a fighter,” explained Kamis.

Still, after all those efforts, his parents felt Jacob couldn't handle the pain inside any longer and he took his own life. And despite that unimaginable loss, Alano feels some serenity knowing Jacob is no longer in pain.

“I'm sad. I'm grieving. But at the same time, I feel a peacefulness, you know, inside of me. I feel like this is how he's feeling. And he's telling me that, you know, don't worry, mom, you know, I'm ok now,” said Alano.

And to keep Jacob’s legacy alive, Alano and Kamis created the "Jacob Kamis Memorial Fund" at Hillel Academy.

“I think we're quite confident that he would have wanted to do something to help others because that was part of it. Even though Jacob was suffering from this illness, he wanted to help others,” said Kamis.

After Jacob’s shocking death, the head of Hillel, Allison Oakes, realized the need to use Jacob’s fund to start a mental health initiative.

The goal is to offer free educational classes to anyone in the community about depression and suicide awareness.

“We wanted to use it to kick start something in Jacob's memory so that he had a legacy here, and that maybe will help children, teenagers, adults manage and handle their mental health,” said Oakes.

The first free educational seminars start this weekend at Hillel Academy. Oakes hopes more monthly and bi-monthly programs will continue to spread awareness about mental illness. And Jacob’s parents believe helping others is exactly what Jacob would have wanted.

“He was such a gift. He was such a gift to everyone, you know, everyone he met. And I miss him every second,” said Alano.

Kamis adds, “We must keep going. And he knows that we will, and he knows that we're always doing what he thinks is the right way to do it. In every decision I make in my life forever now, I always think about what Jacob would tell me to do?”

The three-day free educational event 'Lifting the Cloud: A Focus on Teen Mental Health' will take place at Hillel Academy on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 6 pm, Monday, Jan. 23 at 5 pm and Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 4pm.

It will include several workshops geared toward parents, educators, and survivors of suicide. It will also include screenings of a documentary about another teen's suicide called "Ezra: May His Memory Be For A Blessing."

You can learn more information and register for the event, CLICK HERE.