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1,776 miles for a purpose:
Recovery advocate Jason Lennox walks through the area with a message

By the time Jason Lennox reached northern Minnesota, he had already walked roughly 800 miles — just shy of half of the way through his journey. It showed. There was a quiet, unassuming strength to him, but also a tiredness that went beyond the physical — the kind that settles in after months of absorbing other people's pain.

That's what this walk has become for him: 1,776 miles around the edge of Minnesota, carrying not just his own story of addiction and recovery, but the stories strangers hand him along the way. Recovering addicts. Parents who buried a child. He's paired that with hours of his own research into addiction and suicide, and it shows — he moves easily between hard data and raw memory, and something about the way he talks suggests both live very close to the surface.

Lennox, an Owatonna native now living in Hopkins, is a health care executive, speaker and founder of the One Arrow Foundation. He launched his walk — dubbed The Recovery Road — from Stillwater on June 29 and plans to finish Oct. 10, World Mental Health Day. The distance of 1,776 miles is a deliberate nod to the nation's 250th birthday this year.

It's his second long-distance walk for the cause. Last fall, he covered 307 miles through Appalachia, from West Virginia to Nashville, honoring the estimated 307,000 Americans lost to addiction and suicide in 2024.

This year's walk carries a different, more personal weight. It's dedicated to Kenzie Mae Leonardo, an 11-year-old from Lennox's hometown of New Richland, Minnesota, who died by suicide last fall. Lennox learned of her death the day after finishing last year's walk, and said it reshaped his focus toward youth mental health — particularly in rural communities like the ones he's walking through now.

"The problem is a lot bigger than any of us can imagine," Lennox said, citing data he's collecting as part of the campaign: roughly 20% of adolescents report thoughts of suicide, 10% have a plan, and 5% take action. The risk is significantly higher outside cities, he said. Rural residents — both adults and adolescents — are about 70% more likely to die by suicide than their urban counterparts.

A road that mirrors recovery
Lennox has been sober since Dec. 9, 2010, after an overdose left him in a hospital bed next to a police officer waiting to take him into custody on multiple felony warrants. He's now more than 15 years into recovery, and in 2022 published a memoir, "A Perfect Tragedy: Finding Purpose in Pain, Loss, and Addiction," timed to release on his sobriety anniversary. The title traces back to his grandmother's death, which he's said finally pushed him toward full commitment to treatment.

He said the isolation of walking rural highways — headwinds, noise, the constant low hum of danger from passing traffic, the uncertainty of which way to go — echoes what he felt in the years before he got sober.

"It felt like being out on an island," Lennox said. "The symbolism is pretty strong with what I was feeling before recovery."

A typical day includes 10 to 12 hours of preparation and unwinding, built around roughly 20 miles of walking, broken into stretches of about 5 miles, with a support vehicle providing water and snacks along the way. The physical toll — sun exposure especially — compounds as the weeks go on, Lennox said, and the emotional weight can be just as heavy. Every mile brings the chance for a conversation, he said — with a stranger, a fellow traveler in recovery, someone who's lost a child — and each one seems to stay with him.

"This is really hard, and I am highly sensitive, so it's emotionally difficult," he said. "It's born out of a desperate and painful place."

Still, he said, the walk is worth what it costs him.

"To come do whatever I can, to make a difference — this is all bonus time," Lennox said. "I didn't expect to live this long when I was in the depths of my problems. The value of my life will ultimately be measured by the value I provide to others."

Breaking the isolation
Through One Arrow Foundation, Lennox is collecting data from all 87 Minnesota counties along the walking route, which he intends to bring to state legislators. The campaign also includes a documentary, and proceeds support One Arrow grants for prevention, treatment and crisis services.

Asked what recovery looks like now, 15 and a half years in, versus what people might assume, Lennox pointed to a shift he credits to a mentor: getting to stable ground eventually stops being about himself.

"How satisfied you are has nothing to do with you anymore," he said. "It's all about giving."

For families in small towns who feel they have to handle a mental health crisis on their own — because help feels too far away, or because asking for it feels too exposed — Lennox said the instinct to go it alone is common, and dangerous.

"Ninety percent of people don't get help because they feel they should be able to handle it on their own," he said. That isolation, he said, tends to feel most powerful only after it's too late.

"There is a stigma in getting help," Lennox said, "and they absolutely shouldn't feel that way."

Lennox's walk continues around the state's perimeter through early October, with stops planned in rural communities along the way.

HOW TO HELP: Proceeds from The Recovery Road support the One Arrow Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that funds behavioral health programs — prevention, treatment, crisis intervention, suicide prevention and recovery support — particularly in high-need, under-resourced areas.

Donate: onearrowfoundation.org (click "Give")
Sponsor: Sponsorship packages available at onearrowfoundation.org
Follow the walk: onearrowfoundation.org/the-movement
Contact: info@onearrowfoundation.org

Small-Town Roots, Big Future: Westberg begins career in law enforcement

Samantha Alme
samantha.tribunepaper@gmail.com

Just two years after graduating in a class of only 10 students from Greenbush-Middle River School, Sierra Westberg is already making her mark — and preparing to give back to the communities that helped shape her.

The 2024 GMR graduate was recently named Student of the Year at Northland Community and Technical College, an honor that recognizes not only Westberg’s accomplishments as a student, but also the growth, determination and hard work that have carried her through the beginning of her law enforcement journey.

For Westberg, the recognition means much more than an award.

“Receiving Student of the Year for Northland is really meaningful to me because it feels like recognition of not only what I’ve accomplished, but also how much I’ve grown throughout my time here,” she said.

Westberg credits Northland with challenging her, helping her discover what she is capable of and providing opportunities to learn from those around her. She said the honor represents the perseverance and commitment she has put into her education, but just as importantly, the people who have supported her along the way.

Among those who made a lasting impact were Northland instructors Randy Sondrol and David Lovly.

“They have both spent so much time teaching and preparing future officers for the field,” Westberg said, adding that their ability to bring real-world situations and experiences into the classroom helped prepare students for what they may encounter in their careers.

Now, Westberg is preparing to take what she has learned in the classroom into the real world as she begins her career as a deputy with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.

For the young GMR graduate, choosing law enforcement came down to something that resonates deeply in small communities across northwest Minnesota: helping others.

Westberg said she has always been drawn to careers that allow her to serve people, particularly during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Law enforcement offered the challenge and responsibility she was looking for, while also giving her an opportunity to build relationships and trust within the community.

“Becoming a police officer isn’t just about enforcing laws to me,” Westberg said. “It’s about protecting people, treating everyone with respect, and being someone others can rely on when they need help.”

As she begins this next chapter, Westberg knows her education is far from over.

She is looking forward to learning from the new situations she will encounter on the job and from the experienced people working alongside her. She hopes to continue strengthening her communication, decision-making, problem-solving and leadership skills as she gains experience in the field.

And as a young woman entering law enforcement, Westberg hopes her journey might help another girl from a small community imagine herself doing the same.

She wants young women to know there is a place for them in law enforcement — and that the qualities they bring to the profession can be an asset.

“I want them to know that they belong in this field and that being a woman can be a strength,” she said. “If my experience can inspire even one young woman to consider a career in law enforcement, step outside of her comfort zone, and believe in herself, that would mean a lot to me.”

Westberg believes women can bring empathy, patience, communication skills and attention to detail to policing, along with a different perspective that can be especially valuable when working with people facing difficult or sensitive circumstances.

At the same time, she said women can be every bit as strong, confident and decisive when the situation calls for it.

For those who watched Westberg grow up, graduate from GMR and now begin a career dedicated to serving others, her story is another reminder of what can come from the halls of a small-town school.

A graduating class of 10 may be small in number, but it doesn’t limit how far its students can go or the difference they can make.

As Westberg prepares for what comes next, she remains grateful to the community of people who helped her reach this point.

“I’m incredibly grateful for my family, friends, mentors, instructors, and everyone who has encouraged me throughout this journey,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the people who believed in me, challenged me, and supported me along the way.”

From a small graduating class at Greenbush-Middle River to being recognized as Northland’s Student of the Year and beginning a career in public service, Westberg’s journey is just getting started.

“I’m excited for this next chapter,” she said, “and grateful for the opportunity to serve my community.”