Help The 5K Reach $400,000!

The Memorial Ribbon Wall

The 5K is a wonderful day to celebrate life and remember our loved ones lost to suicide. September 27th was a beautiful day, and whether you attended the 16th Annual Samaritans "Run for Someone Else's Life" 5K Run/Walk and Family Fun Festival on your own or as a member of the biggest team, we hope that you can agree with us that as a member of Samaritans community, you are never alone.

Samaritans' 5K is largest fundraiser that helps ensure our vital services remain free in our community. We are proud and thankful to have raised 90% of our goal of $400,000 towards our free services. Please help us reach the goal by making a gift, or by asking your friends and family to support your personal goal. A gift of $5, $50, or $500 in honor of an individual, team, or any of the over 300 loved ones we remembered at the 5K.

We are so appreciative of everyone who fund raises on our behalf for the 5K.
This year's winners are:

Top Fundraising Teams:

Katherine's Pride $23,565

Kathy's 2014 Team $19,134

Run To Rymember $15,230

Team Bon Bon $12,246

Nina & Ashley $10,345

Largest Team:
Christian's Team: 120 members

Top Individual Fundraisers:
Kara Hines (member of Katherine's Pride): $7,800
Janet Lawn (top non-team member): $3,305

There are many more photos of the day over on our Facebook page - click here to view them all!

To find out were you placed among the 800 runners in this year's 5K, click here.

We are so thankful for this year's volunteers major sponsors Sunovion, The Red Sox Foundation and Keolis Commuter Services, who, along with all of our sponsors, make this signature event possible.

Run the Boston Marathon for Suicide Prevention!

14 of the 25 Members of Samaritans 2014 Marathon Team

Do you know someone who is interested in running the Boston Marathon for Samaritans? Yourself? Thanks to the John Hancock Boston Marathon Non-Profit, we have been awarded 12 bib numbers! The application to join our team is now open - get started on yours today! All applications must be submitted by October 24, 2014.

Have you secured your own bib number through qualifying or another source? You can still run the distance for suicide prevention as a member of our marathon team! Email us to discuss joining the team.

Team members will receive support in their fundraising and athletic goals, as well as community support along the way. All funds raised support our lifesaving services. Last year's team raised an astonishing $255,000 towards our services; to read more about these inspiring individuals, click here.

Welcome Our Newest Board Members!

Samaritans' Annual Meeting in September celebrated the successes of our past year, elected officers, recognized outstanding service and elected new board members. We are proud to announce the two newest members of our Board of Directors: Lauren Gablinske and Steve Watson.

Many of you may recognize Lauren's name from our 2014 Boston Marathon team where she raised over $35,000 for Samaritans lifesaving services - Samaritans' most successful individual event fundraiser, and one of the top twenty individual fundraisers to receive a John Hancock Boston Marathon Nonprofit bib number. Lauren, an Account Executive at LeadBridge Partners, became involved with Samaritans in 2013 when she formed a 5K team in memory of her brother, Derek."I am excited and humbled at the opportunity to be on the board for Samaritans, and to work with such a talented group of volunteers and staff leaders who are helping to change the face of suicide everyday" said Lauren.

Steve, the Senior Pastor at the Greater Boston Vineyard church in Cambridge, was recently introduced to Samaritans and looks forward to helping bring our services to a wider audience through his experience as an educator and pastor. "I've been really impressed with the mission of Samaritans, and to be involved in supporting such life-affirming work feels really wonderful. My experience in both school and faith communities is that a lot more people would benefit from Samaritans services, especially the intervention and volunteer opportunities, so I am really excited to help expand the reach of Samaritans" said Steve.

The Annual Meeting also celebrated of its longest standing member, Gary Beckmann, and his 20 year anniversary as a member of the Board, and Deb Karl for her 20 years as Samaritans' accountant, and thanked Jeff Zegas for his 9 years of commitment to our services.

Understanding the Impact of Suicide

The suicide of a loved one can have a profound and sometimes devastating impact on the family, friends, and communities left behind. Join us at Riverside Community Care for three workshops with an understanding the impact of suicide with Samaritans' Grief Support Services Consultant, Dr. Jack Jordan. The series will draw from Dr. Jordan's experience as a grief counselor specializing in work with suicide loss survivors to describe the pathways of healing that survivors and communities can travel.

Understanding suicide and its impact on individuals and families - October 21st
Individual and community self-care after suicide - November 4th
Facilitated discussion of the impact of suicide - November 18th

All workshops take place from 7:00 - 9:00PM at Riverside Community Care (255 Highland Avenue, Needham), and are free to attend. Sponsored by Samaritans in collaboration with Riverside Trauma Center, Newton Cares Coalition for Suicide Prevention & Mental Health, and Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention.

Seating is limited. Please register in advance by clicking here.

Out & About: Community Outreach and Education

With school back in session, it was back to business as usual for Director of Community Education and Outreach Program Kelley Cunningham and Samaritans staff, who met with 1,131 people for seminars in September all over our service area, including Brandeis Counseling & Rape Crisis Hotline, Miles River Middle School, Boston Police Annual Homicide Survivors Picnic, and many more.

This was Kelley's second month in a row as a guest speaker on the Cambridge Community TV program, BeLive: Health is Wealth, with Roberta Robinson from Cambridge Health Alliance. In August, the focus was on depression and recognizing the many symptoms. September's show discussed Samaritans programs and how to help someone who is suicidal. Kelley told is it was a great opportunity to get Samaritans message out to the Cambridge community, and to let folks know about our many services. Make sure you always catch Samaritans' in the news by following us on Twitter and Facebook.

Suicide Prevention training at middle schools and high schools is an essential need. If your school or community group is interested in learning more about these training opportunities please contact Samaritans Director of Community Education and Outreach, Kelley Cunningham.