American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Indiana Chapter
April 2012Vol 1, Issue 1
BSU Campus Walk 2
Breaking the Silence
Indiana Chapter Monthly Newsletter
Greetings!
lifesaver
Welcome Spring!  

It is the time of year when we open windows and start to "spring clean", come out of hybernation from winter to sunshine and flowers blooming... for those living with depression, these tasks may be quite difficult.  Please know the risk factors and warning signs, and how to get help!

Please take a moment to review "Frequently asked Questions" on the AFSP website. 

Question #2 I've heard that suicides are more frequent around the holidays? Is this true, and if so, how much do they increase at that time? 

Answer- Suicides are not more frequent during the holidays. It appears that the rates are the highest in April, and the summer months, June and July.
Survivors of Suicide Loss- Support
SUPPORT GROUPS
Update: The Indiana Chapter will be hosting a facilitator training on April 13 & 14, 2012!  The training is full, and registration is closed.  We have more than 32 participants and about half of them live in Indiana, we hope to see new support groups available to our Indiana residents in the very near future!   

SURVIVOR OUTREACH PROGRAM
Volunteers Needed!  
Survivor Outreach is peer based bereavemtn support for survivors of suicide loss, that we would like to have available in every County in Indiana.  The training is online and free!  We need more volunteers in Indiana.  If you are interested in becoming a volunteer....

14th Annual International Survivors of Suicide Day
November 17th, 2012 is the date!  Our hope is to see each community that hosts an awareness event also host a Survivor Day event.  This event is a Senate Mandated Date- always taking place the Saturday before Thanksgiving, as an opportunity to support survivors of suicide loss and help prepare them for the emotions of the holiday season.  Please consider hosting an International Survivor Day event in your city for 2012.  Planning this event is not difficult or overly time consuming, but you will want to secure your sites soon.  

LIFEKEEPER MEMORY QUILT PROGRAM
AFSP Memory Quilts are collaborative tributes created by survivors of suicide loss that are publically displayed at local and national events in order to put a human face on the tragedy of suicide and the devastating toll it has taken on our families and communities  READ MORE
In This Issue
Survivors of Suicide Loss
Campus Walks
Other AFSP Events
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Share Your Story
OUR STORIES MATTER!
We offer the opportunity to our supporters to share their stories and encourage others.  If you are interested in sharing your story in our Survivor Spotlight section, please submit your story in a word document along with a picture in a jpeg file to the chapter chair (listed below)
 

Campus Walks in Indiana - Start this month
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April 14th begins the spring season of Campus Walks in Indiana.  Creating awareness within their schools and to their surrounding community was a motivating factor for these student coordinators and adults who are hosting Campus Walk events around Indiana this spring.  

 

Columbus Indiana hosted one of the top 5 Campus Walks in the country in 2011, raising $18,800 and having more than 200 participants - Congratulations to Kisha Allman and her team for that amazing accomplishment.  

 

Campus Walks Event Calendar:
April 14 - Ivy Tech Community College- Logansport Indiana
April 14 - Purdue University North Central- Westville Indiana
April 15 - IUPUI- Indianapolis
April 21 - Ball State University- Muncie Indiana
April 28 - Butler University- Indianapolis Indiana
May 12 - Columbus Campus Walk- Columbus Indiana
June 23- Lawrence County Campus Walk- Mitchell Indiana

 

Please remember, you can continue to collect and post donations to your event or towards your own personal fundraising goal until June 30th.  

Register ONLINE for any of the above events HERE
 
HERE IS A FRIENDLY CHALLENGE TO ALL OUR CAMPUS WALKERS....
Which Campus Walk will have the most pre-registered walkers?
Which Campus Walk will have the most overall participants?
Which Campus Walk will raise the most donations for depression awareness and suicide prevention?
 
WILL IT BE YOUR CAMPUS?
 
Like us on Facebook 
Help us promote these events on facebook by inviting your friends to participate on the event page on facebook- Find Your EVENT HERE
Other AFSP Indiana Events and News
 
Mark your calendar for upcoming AFSP events, check our facebook page and chapter pages for updates and additions.  

Facilitator Training - April 13 & 14- Indianapolis
April 14th- Booth at the University of Indianapolis Health Fair

Campus Walks- See FULL LIST here (and above)

RIDE TO SILENCE THE STIGMA- Indianapolis Register HERE
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June 9th- Booth at Circle City PRIDE Festival

Out of the Darkness Community Walks- beginning September 2012- thru October 2012
Indianapolis - September 15th, 2012
Benton County- September 16th, 2012
Union City - September 23rd, 2012
Northwest Indiana - Munster- September 29th, 2012
Evansville - October 13th, 2012
Fort Wayne - October 20, 2012
Bloomington - October 27, 2012
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Still waiting for details from our coordinator in Chesterton to post their walk.  Coming Soon!

It is NOT to late to start planning!  If you are interested in bringing an Out of the Darkness awareness event to your community and you are not close to an existing event, please don't hesitate to contact us!  We have had OOTD walks in both Terre Haute and South Bend in 2011...but currently do not have coordinators to lead these efforts for 2012.  

Hopeful that we find new coordinators for Terre Haute and South Bend- anyone interested, please contact the Chapter Chair, Lisa Brattain, at Lbrattain4AFSP@aol.com or 317.774.1377
LEND YOUR VOICE TO THE DIRECTION OF
SUICIDE PREVENTION RESEARCH
Genetic Link
AFSP is collaborating with the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to gather ideas about suicide prevention research. 

The purpose of this RFI is to seek input to identify the types of research tools needed to support rapid advancement in suicide prevention research.

 
Walk to save lives...In the United States, a person dies by suicide every 14.2 minutes, claiming more than 36,000 lives each year. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students, and the third for youth ages 15-24, with adolescent depression -undiagnosed, untreated or both- as the number one cause.

The Out of the Darkness Campus walks are 3-5 mile walks taking place in communities across the country, with the proceeds benefitting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). To learn more about AFSP and suicide prevention, please visit www.afsp.org

By walking in the Out of the Darkness Campus Walks, you will be walking with thousands of students nationwide to raise money for AFSP's vital research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase national awareness about depression and suicide and provide support for survivors of suicide loss.

In deciding to walk you are taking us a step closer to making suicide prevention a national priority. 
Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

 

Lisa Brattain - Chair & the AFSP Indiana Board of Directors
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Indiana Chapter
P.O. Box 1793, Noblesville Indiana 46061
317.774.1377