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World Suicide Prevention Day - Acts of Kindness |
"According to the recently released World Health Organization (WHO) report: Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative, over 800,000 people die by suicide across the world each year. The report notes that this estimate is conservative, with the real figure likely to be higher because of the stigma associated with suicide, lack of reliable death recording procedures, and religious or legal sanctions against suicide in some countries." - International Association for Suicide Prevention
800,000 can seem like an overwhelming number. With that many suicides, can a single person really do anything to prevent suicide? The answer is yes! Today, for World Suicide Prevention Day, consider showing kindness and support to someone you might be concerned about but are too afraid to ask, or even show a small act of kindness to a stranger. In coordination with other mental health organizations, we want to remind everyone that you can "be the one to" prevent suicide. If you need to, remember you can always call 877-870-4673 to talk to a trained volunteer who is better equip to talk with a suicidal person than you are. In the spirit of Be the 1 To, remember you can: - (1) Be the 1 to...Ask (about suicide);
- (2) Be the 1 to...Keep Them Safe (remove access to lethal means);
- (3) Be the 1 to...Be There (be present, listen with compassion and without judgment, let them know you care about them);
- (4) Be the 1 to...Help them stay connected (to caring others-friends, family, therapists, clergy, teachers, coaches, etc.-and to the Lifeline and other 24/7 crisis care resources); and
- (5) Be the 1 to...Follow Up (and check in regularly with the person you are concerned about, for days and weeks after the crisis, let them know you are thinking about them, and you are there to help if needed).
If we each promise to go out of our way to do something compassionate for another person today, that would lead to almost 20,000 acts of kindness just within Samaritans' community! Share your act of kindness with us on Twitter (@Samaritanshope), Facebook (Samaritans, Inc.) or Instagram (@Samaritanshope), and help inspire even more people to make a difference - be sure to use hashtag #WSPD15 and #BeThe1To. |
| Make Our Cover Photos Yours! |
Show your support for Samaritans' during National Suicide Prevention Week by making our Facebook Cover Photo your own! Head over to our Facebook page and click Options, then download to grab the photo and let all of your friends know that suicide prevention is important to you. Be sure to link to your 5K page in the description!
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| Remembering My husband: 5K Team Captain Marty |
Marty was already familiar with Samaritans' when she lost her husband, Philip, to suicide in July of last year. She first learned of the 5K in 2012, when her niece Lindsay participated as a member of Team Cate, in memory of Lindsay's friend. This will be Lindsay's second year as a member of both Team Cate and Philip25, in memory of her uncle. "Philip was a loving father, husband, a great friend to many, and a hard worker. He was just a wonderful person." Marty told Development Manager Eve Rabinowitz, while discussing her experience as a member of Samaritans' community.
"The 5K means everything to me. It means that we're healing, that we are doing something good for other people, showing people that there are other ways to deal with something bad that happens in your life. It makes me feel good to see everyone who has been through the same tragedy come together and support each other. It's a fun day - a healing day, and one more step towards hopefully helping someone else. I love seeing all of my friends and family come and support me and each other, and my kids. It's hard, but everyone is very open in sharing stories about their family members or friends.
My advice would be to get out there and be honest, share your story. I hung up fliers around my office and neighborhood, places I regularly go, with Philip's picture. I think putting a face on your poster helps people connect with you more, and prepares them to hear your story. It can be hard, but people want to find a way to help you! Find a restaurant in your area, and get your friends, family and local businesses to put together raffle items.
It was hard at first to start talking about suicide, and decide to host public fundraisers, but I am very lucky. My community has been very, very supportive. I spoke at work a few weeks before our fundraiser at Home Plate [a local restaurant] and so many of my coworkers came out, donated, and really put a lot into the event. My fundraiser was actually the biggest one Home Plate had ever hosted, they actually didn't have enough staff because they weren't expecting so many people to show up! I also hosted a fundraiser at my boxing gym, Phoenix Fitness, and at both events there were people there who I didn't know who came up and talked with me about their own experiences with suicide and thanked me for not being embarrassed to talk about what happened. I just want to bring more attention to the issue. It's really been overwhelming support."
Thanks for talking with us Marty, and for all of your hard work to help prevent suicide! To learn more about Philip25 click here, and t o register for the 5K Run/Walk for Suicide Prevention taking place on September 26th in Artesani Park, click here. |
We are so excited to announce that we'll be offering shuttle buses from the Alewife T Station to Artesani Park! You can park your car there or take the Red Line and hop on the shuttle, we'll take you the rest of the way.
Shuttles will begin at 6:45 am. Reserve spots today - email us your name, along with any team members, friends or family who will be joining you on the shuttle.
There will be so much going on the day of the 5K - click here for the day of schedule.
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Out and About
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Fall is always a busy time in our Prevention Services Department with Community Education and Outreach workshops. Schools are back in session and that means our manager, Lauren Gablinske, has a lot going on, visiting our Boston and Metro-West schools to talk about suicide prevention and mental health awareness. We also visit colleges as part of our Prevention services talking to students, Resident Advisers , and other support groups on campus as well as organizations and businesses about signs of suicide and how to talk to someone in crisis. If this is something you might be interested in for your school, please contact Lauren.
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Open Positions
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Interested in preventing suicide as a Samaritans' staff member or intern? We are currently accepting applications for:
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