SIDNEY, NE — A group making their way across the state in the name of kids mental health was in western Nebraska Thursday.
The Pony Express Riders passed through several towns Thursday. In the morning, the group left Scottsbluff and made stops in Kimball, Sidney, Ogallala, Gothenburg and Kearney. At every stop, the riders pick up letters written by kids, their families and supporters advocating for more mental health resources for children.
Pony Express Rider Bill Primrose says kids in Nebraska don’t have access to the services they may need until it’s too late.
“By law, they don’t ever get any help until they are subject to jail and that’s at 16-years-old,” Primrose said. “So we want to sit there and make sure these kids get some help before that period of time.”
He says more attention needs to be paid to the issue with everything kids face nowadays, including pressure on social media.
“The media out there, the Facebooks, the Tik Toks or whatever are sitting there and they’re probably driving these kids in the wrong direction. We’re trying to correct that.”
This is the 14th year for the Pony Express Ride. They will continue across the state with stops in towns like Columbus, Norfolk and Papillion.
The journey concludes on Saturday at the steps of the state capital building in Lincoln. There the riders will deliver all letters collected to lawmakers.
