MISSION — Aaron Noisey is a shy, introverted person, but if there is a cause that is near and dear to him, he will lace up his sneakers and hit the pavement.

“Suicide prevention runs, programs for schools — if there is an organization that would like to make a nice donation, it would be welcomed,” Noisey said. “I do these things, not for myself, but to help others, whether it be students or causes. There was a time in my life when I needed help and someone helped me. To me, you get to a point in your life when you want to help others. I like to hear that ‘I made it through today because you helped me.’” 

Noisey, a teacher, boys basketball coach and athletic director at Nixyáawii Community School (NCS), has ran/walked several races over the past few years, raising money for suicide prevention, children’s causes, outdoor preservation and a local child with cancer.

“I tell my kids in my class I hate running,” Noisey said. “It’s the least favorite thing I want to do in the morning, but you have to learn to do hard things. Running is hard. I don’t enjoy it. I wasn’t born to run, I learned to do it. I think that’s why I find different causes to support. It helps motivate me. It’s showing the kids just because you may not be good at something or like it, you can still find joy in it. The hardness in doing it brings me joy in doing it.”

Noisey, 53, has lost 125 pounds over the past three years, which has helped him on his journey.

“Losing the weight has helped me be more active to be able to do these things,” he said. “I’m very thankful for my group of friends — about 20 people that I know I can depend on. It can be $1 or $50 and they will dig in their wallet to support me.”

Noisey participated in a 10K run for suicide prevention Sept. 19, in honor of his brother, Jason, who died in 2022 at 52 years old. 

“That is near and dear to me,” he said. “I have the people at Yellowhawk (Tribal Health Center) come and talk to my class. They do does such a good job with their suicide prevention program.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2024, American Indian and Alaska Native people had one of the highest suicide rates of any racial and ethnic group in the United States.

On Oct. 18, Noisey will compete in the Columbia Gorge Marathon & Half Marathon in Hood River. He will be running his first half marathon (13.1 miles) and raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He is accepting donations to help the cause.

“I am a little bit nervous about it,” Noisey admitted. “I feel if I am going to put myself out there and raise money, it gives me extra incentive to train and complete it. It does seem like all I do is ask people for money, but it is all for a good cause.”

Noisey found himself in Wallowa on Sept. 26 for a 5K fun run for the Joseph Branch Trail Consortium, which was celebrating completion of a new, approximately one-mile, ADA-accessible section of the trail.   

“This one sounded like fun,” Noisey said. “Others, I try to raise money for different things. My wife (Shannon) thinks I’m too busy. She went with me and after my race we went into Joseph. I make sure I give her time when I do these things, and my dog Yo-Na.”

Noisey’s first fundraiser was in 2019, when he competed in the Boise Spartan Run to raise money for Anson Fairbanks, a local child going through cancer treatments.

Originally from Oklahoma, Noisey came to the Pendleton area in 2000.

“I met Ryan Sams at Haskell University,” he said. “After graduation, he moved back home (Pendleton). He later called and said there was a head start position opening. I flew out the week of Round-Up in 2000. I took the job. This is the first year I haven’t done anything during Round-Up.”

When he’s not coaching or running for a cause, Noisey puts his efforts into the students at NCS. During the summer, he went with a group of students to Yellowstone National Park for an educational experience. 

He would like to take the kids back to Alaska this coming summer. Fundraising efforts have already begun.

“To be able to take these kids for their first time to Yellowstone and see a herd of 50 buffalo, or go to Alaska and see a young girl catch her first fish, makes it worthwhile,” he said. “I step out of my comfort zone to teach kids that it’s OK to do hard things, and it’s OK to ask for help. Whether it’s to get through their day or go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip.”