Quad Cities Suicide Prevention Leader Wins a National Youth Award
Haley DeGreve has been justly recognized over the past five years for her tireless, relentless and outstanding work in suicide prevention, as founder and CEO of the Gray Matters Collective.
But the 2020 Augustana College alum was still surprised recently to be named one of the JCI USA’s 2025 Ten Outstanding Young Americans (TOYA). Held annually since 1938, TOYA honors young professionals (age 18 to 40) across the country who exemplify innovation, service, and excellence in their fields. DeGreve, a 27-year-old Moline native and Alleman High grad, was honored among the group Sept. 27 in Raleigh, N.C.
“I’m not sure how I got this 14 lb. award, but I’m deeply grateful for the platform to speak on the topic that matters most to me: mental health,” the John Deere communications manager posted recently on Facebook. “As I said in my speech, this award is NOT about me. It’s about the mission: a world where everyone knows mental health matters, where suicide prevention is a priority, and where every person has what they need to survive. That’s what matters.”
The 2025 TOYA winners, all ages 18 to 40.
DeGreve thanked Mary VanIseghem (a Gray Matters volunteer who works for Bethany for Children & Families) in nominating her for the TOYA award. “Your kindness, friendship, and belief in me mean more than I can put into words,” she wrote on Facebook.
“It was a total surprise, I had no idea I was being nominated,” DeGreve said Tuesday. “I got a call one day. This is amazing, so many other people deserve it more. To go through that process, it was a really awesome experience, and the other people were phenomenal. It’s pretty amazing, I can’t believe it happened.”
Since 1938, this award has lauded leaders ages 18–40 who are making an impact in their communities and beyond. Past recipients include U.S. presidents, such as Bill Clinton (1979) and Joe Biden (1974), former U.S. Senator and vice president Al Gore (1980), rock star Elvis Presley (1970), and actor Christopher Reeve (1981).
DeGreve, a 27-year-old Augustana College alum, is among the new TOYA winners, ages 18-40.
DeGreve said Tuesday that one of this year’s winners she could see as a future president — Marine Corps veteran Phillip Jones, 36, the mayor of Newport News, Va. “He is super impressive, I was really blown away by him,” she said. “I felt honored to be part of a group like that.”
The Jaycees, originally known as the Junior Chamber of Commerce and now known as JCI USA, began in 1920 in St. Louis, when young business leader Henry Giessenbier Jr. sought to create a platform for young people to develop their leadership skills and contribute to their communities.
“I feel so honored, I feel humbled in a way,” DeGreve said of her extensive work in suicide prevention. Gray Matters, which she formed at Augustana in 2019, has grown to 60 chapters at high schools, colleges and universities across Illinois and Iowa. She’s received inquiries about it across the nation.
“When I went to receive the award, getting ready to go on stage to receive the award, I was so emotional. I wasn’t expecting to be,” she said Tuesday, noting in her speech that she attempted to take her own life in August 2019. “I’m not supposed to be alive; I went through some of the darkest moments of my life six years ago. I was so emotional, I got up on stage, I don’t remember a lot of what I said, but it was one of the best speeches I’ve ever given. I was really glad the message shined through.
The Gray Matters Collective now has 60 chapters at high schools, colleges and universities across Illinois and Iowa.
“It’s not about me, it’s about mental health, people that struggle, and I think that was reflected in my speech, so I was really happy about that,” she said.
In 2023, 49,316 Americans died by suicide (far exceeding murder, at 19,800 homicides), and there were an estimated 1.5 million suicide attempts, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The national rate in 2023 was 14.12 suicides per 100,000 populatioon, and Iowa exceeded that rate, with 15.59 per 100,000 people.
Given the severity of the problem, DeGreve said it’s shocking that the federal government has not made suicide prevention a priority. “With all the people we’ve lost to suicide, that it’s not a national priority, and not talked about, is crazy,” she said.
The Gray Matters Collective now helps organize seven free support groups per month, where people can come together to discuss their issues and challenges.
“With statistics, sometimes I think you don’t know if you are making a difference, but you know enough to just try,” DeGreve said Tuesday. “Sometimes legacy is building a garden that you never get to see, planting seeds, and hope that we inspire all people to use their voices, to not suffer in silence. You matter as a person, your voice also matters. Shame dies in safe places, where stories are told and are empowering.
“The only way we can measure success in movement, is to inspire young people to create a community where mental health matters,” she said. “We get letters, emails from young people, saying this did help me. Students have told us this saved their life. That’s why every day, that’s what keeps us going, that’s the why.”
In her TOYA speech in Raleigh, DeGreve said: “What we do with that time is instrumental. What we do with that time changes the world. What we do with that time changes lives.”
“This isn’t award is about me. This is about the youth in America that feel they don’t have a voice,” she said. “This award is for those who have been lost to suicide. This award is for those who feel they should suffer in silence, or that this world would be better off without them, which we know is not true. In America, suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people 10 to 34 years old. A 10-year-old in America is more likely to die by suicide than any disease or illness. That has to change and we cannot change that with just one person.
Haley DeGreve is founder and CEO of Gray Matters Collective, a nonprofit mental health group dedicated to suicide prevention.
“It takes all of us to prevent suicide,” DeGreve said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an expert. I’m not an expert; I just love Dr. Pepper and I have a passion for this. I care. All of us in this room have a heart. Compassion is empathy and action put together, and all of us have the ability for that.”
At a gathering of the winners before the conference, in introducing each other, Haley joked that what helps get her through every day is Dr. Pepper.
DeGreve told the conference a story that changed her whole perspective on the suicide issue, which she has told often. A man saw a little girl picking up starfish that came up on the shore, and throwing them back in the ocean before they died, as fast as she could. He said, “Little girl, you’re wasting your time. You can’t save all these starfish; you can’t make a difference or an impact. You need to give up, you should quit, and go home.
“That’s when the little girl looks up at the old man, picks up a starfish, throws it in the ocean and she says, ‘But I made a difference to that one’.”
“One life, I hope and pray we never forget that,” DeGreve told the audience, her voice breaking. “If you know someone in your life who’s struggling, I beg and I urge you, make a phone call. That call saved my life and it can save someone else. If you know nothing about this topic, I urge you to get involved, to train, because we need to do something. We know that we can’t change the world, but we can change someone’s world. And that makes a world of difference – no regret, no retreat, no reserve. The time is now, and I invite you to be part of that mission, because I can’t do it alone. We can’t do it alone. We need everyone in this fight.”
During her speech, she called out young people in the audience.
“I wanted them to know the young generation, when you look at suicide attempts, suicide ideation, they’re struggling a great deal,” DeGreve said. “We need to call upon them to really prioritize this, they are the future. They’re not just the future, they’re the present. This award means so much because it is youth focused. We can inspire more people, a new generation.”
Haley DeGreve received her Ten Outstanding Young Americans (TOYA) award from JCI USA in Raleigh, N.C. on Sept. 27, 2025.
One in five high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This staggering statistic corresponds with a growing rate of youth suicide in the U.S., which is one of the leading causes of death in adolescents and young adults. Suicide deaths among 10- to 24-year-olds increased by 62% from 2007 to 2021. Research has found that suicide is rising dramatically in preteens as young as 8 years old as well, with an 8.2% annual increase from 2008 to 2022.
Just two months after DeGreve graduated college, she was on the podcast of Kevin Hines, a leading suicide prevention activist (with whom she’s grown very close), and was a keynote speaker in September 2020 for the Hope Rising Suicide Prevention Virtual Summit, a 12-hour free event. It was also a fundraiser for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the American Association of Suicidology. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
Of the 2025 TOYA winners, DeGreve is the only one this year representing mental health.
“I think that’s why the speech was more powerful, I was the only one in that group representing suicide prevention, so I had to do the topic justice, speak authentically,” she said. “It’s not about me at the end of the day. I do respresent the message, speaking on behalf of a lot of people. The message shines through, and this award so special, that it was truly about the message that mental health matters.”
For more information on Gray Matters Collective, click HERE.
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