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Greetings!
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CrisisLink's Hotline in Action
A key part of CrisisLink's mission is to save
lives and prevent tragedies. Following is an
example of how our volunteer Hotline
Listeners save lives and prevent tragedies
around the clock and why your support is so
vitally important. The story you are about
to read is based on an actual call to our
Hotline. To protect the anonymity of the
callers, some elements have been
changed/withheld.
Life Saved: At CrisisLink, we believe
that it takes a community to save lives and this
was never as apparent as it was on a recent
Saturday afternoon. Arriving for his shift,
Mike, an On-the-Job Trainer, looked forward
to working one-on-one with a new volunteer,
Carrie, on her last training session. The
shift didn't stay quiet for long. Carrie
answered her first call only to be greeted by
a sobbing, grief stricken older woman who
could not reconcile herself to living after
the deaths of both her husband and son. The
caller felt hopeless, desperate, and
determined to end her misery immediately.
Using her skills, supported by Mike and shift
partner Katherine, Carrie managed to
de-escalate the desolate woman, and the woman
hung up after agreeing to an emergency
intervention. While Carrie and Mike worked
with 911 to send help, Katherine answered two
more calls from the same woman, who wanted to
speak to someone while she awaited emergency
services. Katherine built trust with the
woman who eventually revealed that she had
swallowed a significant portion of
antifreeze. While keeping the caller engaged
and talking until help arrived, Katherine
passed this information to Mike and Carrie
who notified 911 that the woman had ingested
antifreeze. The 911 personnel passed this
critical information to the EMT's who were
able to act to save this woman's life.
Stories like these are a testament to the
critical services provided by CrisisLink
every day. We thank you for supporting us in
this effort!
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Join us for Link Up & Listen on Saturday, April 12, 2008
Tickets now available online.
Join Honorary Event Co-Chairs:
- Congressman Jim Moran
- Sheila L. Casey, COO, The Hill;
and wife of U.S. Army Chief of Staff General
George
Casey Jr.
- Annette Conway, wife of General James
Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps
and enjoy great music, food, and an evening
with friends while supporting a good cause!
When: Saturday, April 12, 2008,
6:30-11p
Where: The Clarendon Ballroom
Tickets: $95
RSVP: By April 7
Bid on and win fantastic items in our live
and silent auctions. Spend your weekend
cruising around in a Lotus Elise
Convertible! Also bid on
fabulous getaways, VIP passes to the
Loudoun County Music Fest, great
ticket packages for the major sports
teams in the region, and so much more!
Honorees Include:
- Prince Leopold d'Arenberg of Europe &
Azalea Charities
- Paul Di Vito, CrisisLink Past
President
- Chairman Gerry Connolly, accepting
on behalf of the Northern Virginia Regional
Commission
Also featuring:
- Kerry Donley, Former Mayor of
Alexandria
- Melanie Alnwick, co-anchor of FOX
5 Morning News Sunday
- Lionize, dance to the soulful
songs of this reggae-rock inspired band.
For more information and to purchase your tickets today, click here!
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FY '09 Funding At Risk: Fairfax County Human Services Council Meeting
In a dramatic showing of support, 63
CrisisLink volunteers, supporters, and staff
showed up at the Monday, March 12 Fairfax
County Human Services Council meeting to
voice their
concern over the proposed elimination of
CrisisLink funding from Fairfax's FY09 budget.
CrisisLink supporters wore green badges
reading "Lives depend on us," to show the
Council members just how strong the
community's commitment to CrisisLink and our
life saving programs is to themselves, the
County, and the region.
"The room was filled with their energy; it
was very powerful."
--CrisisLink Board President Tom Donegan.
CrisisLink Board Member and Hotline Listener
Mike Fox and Board Member John Neumann, both
Fairfax County residents, explained to the
Council how important Fairfax County's
continued investment is to saving lives and
preventing tragedies in Fairfax County and
the region.
The presentation to the Human Services
Council was part of an effort to reverse the
proposed elimination of Fairfax County
funding for CrisisLink in FY09 (July 1, 2008
to June 30, 2009). CrisisLink has served
Fairfax County residents for 39 years. We
are using this opportunity to
remind the County how critical CrisisLink's
24/7 Crisis Hotline, the only one serving
Fairfax County, is to saving lives and
preventing tragedies in Fairfax County and
the region.
"I feel so grateful to be part of an
organization with such dedicated people
committed to such meaningful work."
--CrisisLink Executive Director Carol
Loftur-Thun
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Northern Virginia Launch of 2-1-1 VIRGINIA a Success!
Dial 2-1-1 from any phone in No. Va. to be connected to health and human services.
On Monday, February 11, CrisisLink launched
2-1-1 VIRGINIA service in Northern Virginia.
On the coldest day of the year, CrisisLink
staff and volunteers traveled to 11 metro
stops in Northern Virginia, to promote the
2-1-1 service, which is now available
statewide. CrisisLink volunteers spoke to
commuters, educating them about 2-1-1 and
encouraging them to use the service.
2-1-1 VIRGINIA streamlines access to health
and human services in the region. The
service helps
residents navigate the complicated social
services system and get a direct connection
to the services they need, resulting
in regional cost savings. It is estimated
that a region like Northern Virginia could
save up to $518,000 in the first year.
Savings would be seen by nonprofits, human
service agencies, emergency services,
businesses, and residents.
The impact of our outreach efforts was seen
in several ways in the weeks following the
launch. CrisisLink's call specialists saw a
50% increase in call volume to the 2-1-1
phone line. On the day of our metro
outreach, a local Virginia resident who had
seen CrisisLink on the FOX 5 news, called
2-1-1 after desperately seeking help with a
gas bill. She directly benefitted from our
metro outreach and expressed gratitude for
our services, saying that we had saved her
life. This is a testament to the importance
of the 2-1-1 service for all Virginia residents.
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Thank you for your support!
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CrisisLink Executive Director Carol
Loftur-Thun appeared on WAMU's The Kojo
Nnamdi show on Wednesday, March 12 to speak
about recent studies revealing a dramatic
rise in the suicide rate among middle aged
adults, 45 to 54 years old.
On March 8, CrisisLink held its 5th
Annual Luncheon and Fashion Show at the
Outback Steakhouse in Fairfax.
