HANSON - Eighth-grader Sam Andrews played Little League, had his heart set on studying engines and mechanics in high school, and loved riding dirt bikes.

“He was always working on something in the garage. He was a very sweet kid, had a great sense of humor,” his father, Phil Andrews, 43, recalled recently.

On May 11, Sam, a handsome, energetic 14-year-old who attended Hanson Middle School, took his own life.

His sudden death plunged the Hanson community into mourning, with those who knew and loved Sam asking the question: Why?

"It’s heartbreaking. Nobody expects these things to happen,” Whitman-Hanson School Superintendent Ruth Gilbert-Whitner said shortly after Sam’s death.

His father says he doesn’t know why his son killed himself, but that he’s speaking out publicly about his suicide with the hope of saving another young life.

“In hindsight, there were definitely things that we probably should have picked up on, but it was a complete shock,” his father said solemnly.

Now Sam’s family and friends are starting the Do It for Sam 5K Charity Walk in his memory. Proceeds from the July 31 walk will benefit Samaritans, a suicide-prevention group, his father said. The group aims to reduce suicides “by alleviating despair, isolation, distress and suicidal feelings among individuals in our community,” according to its website.

“In giving to Samaritans, the hope is that someone else who has feelings like that would know where to go, to talk about their feelings, somewhere safe," his father said.

Registration for the July 31 walk began today and participants who register by June 29 are guaranteed an event T-shirt, said Meredith Baillargeon of Hanson, who is organizing the walk with her sister, Stacey Wigmore. The sisters grew up next door to Sam.

“He was a great kid, always had a smile on his face, always said hi,” Baillargeon, 35, said. “It’s just very heartbreaking.”

Police received an emergency call at 8:33 p.m., on May 11, and officers responded to a wooded area off Squantum Avenue in Hanson, where emergency responders found Sam unresponsive, police said.

Grief counselors were on hand for students and staff the next morning at Hanson Middle School, school officials said.

“We’re deeply saddened,” Gilbert-Whitner said at the time. “We’re trying to get everybody through this.”

In an e-mail to parents after Sam's death, the school’s principal, Bill Tranter, said counselors were made available “to help the students grieve and process the loss of their classmate.”

Hanson Middle School has about 435 students in grades 6-8.

The walk in Sam’s memory will begin at 9 a.m., on Sunday, July 31 at Boteri Fields, 795 Indian Head St., Hanson. There will be raffle prizes and refreshments.

Registration is $25 per person. To register, visit the DoItForSam page on Facebook and click on “Walk registration 2016.” People also can register by calling Baillargeon at 781-635-8458.

Meanwhile, Sam’s family is channeling the grief of losing him into fundraising to honor him and to help others – as he often did, his father said.

“He was the type of kid, if somebody was out working in the yard, he’d come right over and give you a hand,” Phil Andrews said. “He was just very thoughtful.”

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK.