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The 5K is Less Than Three Months Away!

The 16th Annual Samaritans "Run for Someone Else's Life" 5K Run/Walk and Family Fun Festival is less than three months away! This special event brings together more than 3,000 members of our community to celebrate the lives of those lost to suicide, and raise funds and awareness for Samaritans' services. Participants find support in being with others who have suffered a similar loss, and comfort in honoring the life of their loves ones. On this day, we come together as a community  that none of us asked to join but are grateful to have.

100% of the proceeds from the 5K help fund our life-saving services, including our 24/7 helplines, Community Education and Outreach, and Grief Support Services for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. These vital services are available to the families, friends and neighbors that live in our community, free of charge. We are the only suicide prevention walk in the Commonwealth that provides financial support to the 24/7 crisis lines answered by Samaritans, including those calls we answer from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Please join us as we celebrate the lives of our loved ones. By participating in this wonderful event, we are honoring their lives and keeping their memories alive. We are shining light and raising awareness about an issue that has been in the dark for far too long. We are helping others from taking his or her own life. We are saving families and friends from knowing the pain and sorrow that has touched us all.


Registration is now open, sign up today to join us on September 27th in Artesani Park in Brighton as a team captain, runner, walker, volunteer or virtual participant! Regardless of how you decide to 5K, you are helping Samaritans to continue our mission to reduce incidences of suicide, educate the public about suicide prevention, and reduce the stigma associated with suicide.



Please keep in mind that this year, for safety reasons, we must limit the number of runners to 800. If you wish to run the 5K in September, please sign up early and encourage your friends, family and potential team members who are interested in running to do the same. There is no limit to the number of people who can register as walkers! 

As you may have noticed, we are now using a new program, Team Raiser, for 5K registration and fundraising. Team Raiser has many great benefits, including the ability to import your contacts and message them through Team Raiser, and register your family members without having to use separate email addresses. If you are nervous about getting used to a new system, don't be! Don't hesitate to email [email protected] or call us at 617-536-2460 with any questions. We can send you step-by-step instructions and provide support with any issues you may have. 
 
If you are interested in sponsoring the 5K Run/Walk and Family Fun Festival or have any questions, please contact Samaritans' Development Coordinator, Eve Rabinowitz at [email protected] or call 617-536-2460.
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Why I 5K: Team Captain Molly
Mark's Team 2014
Mark's Team at the 2014 5K
Though this is Mark's Team's eighth time participating in the 5K, Molly is taking on the Team Captain role for the first time this year. Molly and her family first became involved with the 5K after losing her oldest brother Mark to suicide in 2005, and though not every family member has been able to make it every year (Molly was unable to attend last year's 5K), the team has been represented at every 5K since.

Molly sat down with Samaritans' Development Coordinator, Eve, to discuss this year's 5K and shed some light as to why the event is important to her and her family:

The 5K is something we look forward to - it's a day for our family, extended and close, and friends, to celebrate Mark's life and honor his memory.

The first time we attended, I was worried it would be a sad day, especially for my mom, but I remember feeling so overwhelmed with inspiration as we watched my sister begin the race and then walked in Mark's memory. The day was totally different than I had been expecting, it was both uplifting and emotionally fulfilling. When you go through something like a loss to suicide, you really do feel all alone, and like your family is the only one going through this type of death and grief. Though it is tragic to see how many people have been affected by suicide, it is such a comfort to be surrounded by people going through the same thing.

When you're fundraising, don't be afraid to mention the word suicide, and if you're comfortable, mention that you are participating in the 5K in memory of your loved one. In my experience, people have been very supportive. Get out there as much as you can, make fliers and approach companies you come into contact with and as many people as you can. I go door-to-door in my neighborhood. When people ask why my family participates, I tell them we do it to keep Mark's memory alive, and to keep others alive and well.

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Molly! Mark's Team is already a third of the way towards their goal. Check on their progress by clicking here. If you have participated in the 5K before and plan on doing so again, email us to be featured in our next snapshot!
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Samaritan named Crisis Text Line Specialist of the Month!
We are so proud that one of our volunteers, Jarrod Labarge, was named the Crisis Text Line Specialist of the Month for June! Jarrod, who is a communication encryption engineer from MA, has been a volunteer with Samaritans for one year. He enjoys befriending via text because it is another way to reduce the pain of those who reach out for help. Jarrod is the second Samaritan to be named Specialist of the Month, Text/Chat Manager Beata Momtaz received the honor in December. Text/Chat Coordinator Adam Grollman also deserves a shout out because he was one of two specialists to have over 1,000 conversations in June.
Welcome Janet!
We are thrilled to welcome our newest staff member, Chief Development Officer Janet Lawn! Janet will be heading Samaritans' Development department, and previously served as Director of Development at GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders), the interim Director of Development at Horizons for Homeless Children, and has held other positions at Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence and RESOLVE.

Janet is looking forward to meeting with the many of you who support Samaritans. Her commitment is to ensure that Samaritans' lifesaving work will continue to grow and serve everyone in need!
Out and About: Community Outreach and Education
In June, Community Education and Outreach Program Manager Kelley Cunningham, along with Commonwealth Corps member Lynda Wallack, met with over 600 people for seminars at:
    • Community Resources for Justice (Manchester, NH)
    • Chronic Pain and Opioid Conference (Boston)
    • Commonwealth Corps Suicide Prevention Training (Boston)
    • Tufts Medical School (Boston)
    • Police Training (Natick)
    • Mass DOT Safety Fair (Boston)
    • Fenno House (Boston)
    • St. Cecelia's House (Boston)
    • Robert Fortes's House (Boston)
    • St. Mary's Residential Supportive Living (Lynn)
    • St. Helena's House (Lynn)
    • St. Theresa's House (Lynn)
    • Recovery is Real Panel (Cambridge)
    • Bullying Intervention Specialists Training (Boston)
    • Medway High School (Medway)  
If you would like our Community Outreach and Education team to speak at your school or event, contact Kelley Cunningham .
New Year Began on July 1st!
In the midst of celebrating 40 years of compassion throughout 2014, Samaritans' new fiscal year began on July 1st and we want to thank everyone for helping us reach new milestones in the fiscal year that recently ended. We served more people in crisis in new ways - phone, chat and text; our curriculum for middle and high schools was listed in the national best practices registry and we launched a new support group in South Boston for those who lost a loved one to suicide.

 

We also reaped the financial benefits of last year's cost restructuring and ended the year on a strong, debt-free financial footing upon which to continue the growth of our services! Thank you for your support in making this great year at Samaritans a reality.


As a public charity that provides its services free of charge, we depend on the community to underwrite the expenses involved in delivering these services. Thank you for once again stepping up to this challenge!

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Upcoming Events
Please join us for these upcoming events to support Samaritans:
  • Alex and Ani will be hosting "Charms for a Cause" at their 115 Newbury Street location in Boston on Tuesday, August 19th from 6 - 9PM. 15% of every purchase made during this time will go towards Samaritans!  
  • Grief Support Services Coordinator Emily will be the guest burrito roller at Anna's Taqueria 446 Harvard Street location in Brookline on Monday, September 8th from 6 - 8PM.  100% of the proceeds from every burrito Emily rolls will go towards Samaritans!
  • Of course, we hope to see you all at the 16th Annual "Run for Someone Else's Life" 5K Run/Walk and Family Fun Festival on September 27th in Artesani Park

Hosting a fundraiser to support Samaritans? Email us to include it in next month's snapshot!  

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