A Bus on White Sands Boulevard: How a Rolling Memorial Reinforces a Mental Health Discussion in Alamogordo

Yesterday, a weird looking school bus rolled into Alamogordo and parked quietly along White Sands Boulevard. It didn’t carry students. It carried stories—etched in ink, ashes, photographs, and grief. For a few days, the Suicide Awareness Bus & Spirit House™ has transformed a stretch of pavement into sacred ground, offering space for remembrance, reflection, and radical healing.

Founded by Cory Richez and Kelly Logan, the project is unlike any traditional mental health initiative. It’s raw, mobile, and deeply personal. Born from lived experience—Cory lost his stepfather to suicide, Kelly survived multiple attempts—the bus is a grassroots memorial and sanctuary. It’s not backed by institutions. It’s powered by heartbreak, resilience, and a fierce commitment to showing up where pain lives.

From Ashes to Action

The original bus, covered in names and tributes from across the country, was destroyed in a fire on US 101. Cory and Kelly were left homeless. But instead of retreating, they rebuilt. The new bus was named Phoenix, a symbol of rebirth. Inside, Kelly painted murals that turned trauma into art. The Spirit House™, nestled within the bus, became a quiet refuge for those navigating loss and survival.

Over the next three years from the fire, Phoenix has traveled to 32 states, stopping in Walmart parking lots, truck stops, and town squares. Its mission: to honor lives lost to suicide, destigmatize mental health struggles, and offer a space where grief could be spoken aloud.

An Alamogordo Spectacle

When the bus arrived in Alamogordo, it didn’t come with banners or speeches. It came with presence. Parked near the Walmart on a lot adjacent to White Sands Blvd, the bus drew in passersby—some curious, others carrying invisible burdens. 

Inside the Spirit House, candles flickered. A playlist hummed softly. Visitors were invited to sit, write, cry, or simply breathe. One woman brought her son’s guitar and played a song he’d written before he died. A teenager added a sticky note to the memorial wall: “For my brother. I miss you every day.”

Cory and Kelly didn’t offer therapy. They offered space. They listened. They cried with strangers. They handed out markers, journals, and hugs.

We are carrying the story not with statistics, but with stories. Faces. Names. For a few moments. Alamogordo’s quiet battle with isolation and stigma is no longer invisible.

Why It Matters to Alamogordo

Like many rural communities, Alamogordo faces unique challenges: limited access to mental health care, cultural stigma, and economic stress. The Suicide Awareness Bus isn't about solving these problems—but it is a reminder of the need for dialogue about them.

• It gives permission to grieve publicly, without shame.
• It connects residents to to the idea of mental health.
• It reminded the town that healing is communal, not solitary.
• It creates a living archive of remembrance, where names are honored and stories preserved.

For a few days, White Sands Boulevard isn't just a thoroughfare—it is a place of reckoning, renewal, and reconnection. And when the bus rolls away, it will leave behind more than candles and sticky notes. It will leave behind a community a little more willing to speak, to listen, and to hold space for one another.

Here are upcoming suicide and mental health awareness programs and events in or near Alamogordo for September and October 2025.

September 2025

• APS Suicide Prevention Month recognition: Alamogordo Public Schools (APS) will observe September as Suicide Prevention Month with its HOPE Team offering crisis intervention, referrals, and on-campus support to students and families.
• Mescalero Glow Walk: The Mescalero Prevention Program will host a Glow Walk on September 10 to raise awareness for Suicide Prevention Month. The event will feature free food, a live DJ, and free T-shirts for the first 200 participants.
• Annual Health Fair: The city of Alamogordo is holding its Annual Health Fair on September 11 at 2201 Puerto Rico Ave. While not solely focused on mental health, it will feature over 30 vendors providing accessible health and community information.
• Trauma-Informed Training: On September 15, a free training session on trauma-informed care in early childhood settings will be offered in Alamogordo. It will focus on implementing inclusive and resilience-based services.

October 2025

• Suicide Prevention 5K: On October 4, DACC Student Engagement, Health & Wellness is hosting a suicide prevention 5K and 1-mile walk/run on the NMSU/DACC campus in Las Cruces. All proceeds benefit the Las Cruces Suicide Prevention Task Force.
• Fall Festival & Community Wellness Fair: Golden Hearts Home Care is hosting a Fall Festival & Community Wellness Fair in Alamogordo on October 4. The event is a resource for community wellness, though not exclusively for suicide prevention.
• NAMI Walks United Day of Hope: The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is holding its nationwide walk event on October 4. The goal is to raise awareness, funds, and fight the stigma around mental illness.

Resources for immediate support

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: A 24/7, free, and confidential support line. You can call or text 988 from anywhere in the U.S..
• New Mexico Crisis and Access Line: A statewide mental health crisis line answered by professional counselors 24/7. Phone: 1-855-NMCRISIS (662-7474).
• APS HOPE Team: For students and families, the Alamogordo Public Schools HOPE Team can be reached by phone or text at 575-430-0191.
• Alamogordo Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT): This team can provide on-site crisis assessment and intervention. Phone: 575-439-4304.

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