In This Issue:

MBTA Partnership - You are not alone

If you have taken the T recently, you may have

heard a new announcement besides the train schedule. On January 15th, our year-long work with Keolis and the MBTA has finally been revealed with Samaritans' Statewide Helpline information announced on the LED notification boards coming to the T station near you! 400 placards will also be up soon on buses, subway trains, commuter rail cars and posters will be placed in stations in the near future. The campaign, called "You are Not Alone," is meant to raise awareness about Samaritans mission and services, including the recently launched text helpline, now available 24/7. The launch led to several articles in Boston-based papers, read one report over at the Boston Globe.

Annual Memorial 2016

Thank you to all those who attended our Annual Memorial Service on Sunday, January 31. Together, we gathered to remember our loved ones, and to share the love and lasting impact they had on our lives. We heard poems that spoke to people's love and grief. Letters to siblings, updating them on how their families are doing and reminiscing on fond memories of their time together. Equally moving were songs that were played in remembrance as well. We appreciate those who came to support others - family members, friends, and strangers alike - and those who spoke and opened their hearts to others. As it is often said, being a loss survivor is a club that no one chooses to join, but there can be comfort in knowing you're not in it alone. On behalf of Grief Support Services - thank you for sharing your loved ones with us.

Be on the lookout next fall for more information on the 2017 Annual Memorial. In the meantime, please know we're always here to support you. You can reach our Grief Support Services team at safeplace@samaritanshope.org.

Would you Sponsor the Breakfast for Hope?

Talk to your colleagues today about preventing suicide as a corporate sponsor for the 2016 Breakfast for Hope! Corporate sponsorship benefits include:

An ad in our full color program book
Call outs from the podium
Posts on social media
Company logo on event signage and website
Recognition in the event slideshow
A free table of ten at the Breakfast

We are also seeking individual sponsors, who will receive a listing in the program book and event slideshow, as well as a table of ten at the Breakfast.

Samaritans' annual Breakfast for Hope fundraiser showcases our life saving work and services through videos and testimonials. For guests of the event, there is no better way to fully appreciate the impact Samaritans has on the lives of others and the hope and happiness we bring to our community.

We hope you can join us for this year's Breakfast for Hope on May 26th at the Westin Copley Place in Boston! This year's theme, "Suicide: Let's Have a Conversation" promises another informative Samaritans event for our community.

Click here to RSVP as an individual or reserve a table.

Click here to learn more about sponsoring the Breakfast as an individual or business. With 500 guests, the Breakfast is a great opportunity for visibility!

Meet our 2016 Boston Marathon Team!

In 4 months, 14 dedicated people will run 26.2 miles for suicide prevention in the Boston Marathon. Some are survivors, running to remember siblings, parents and friends lost to suicide. Others are running to celebrate their success in a personal struggle with depression and bi-polar disorder.

As they run the country's most prestigious marathon on April 18, 22 people will die by suicide in the United States. Another 550 people will attempt to take their own lives. Help the team reach their collective goal of $130,000 to support our life saving services.

Thanks to the John Hancock Boston Marathon Non-Profit, this is the 9th consecutive year that Samaritans will have a team running the 26.2 miles. Meet three members of our outstanding team:

Kim Gagnon: this is Kim's eighth consecutive year running the Boston Marathon for Samaritans in memory of her sister, Jodi Ann. An accountant, mother of four, and member of Samaritans' board, Kim is excited to run the marathon for Jodi Ann and for everyone suffering from mental illness. She is also excited to have qualified for next year's marathon - which she will of course run as a member of Samaritans team as well! To learn more about Kim or make a donation towards her goal of $15,000, visit her CrowdRise page.

Kristina Conroy: Kristina is excited to run her first Boston Marathon to combine her drive to advocate for mental health awareness with her love of running. Through her work in pediatric psychiatry, as well as suicide attempts and losses to suicide among her close circle of friends and family, she has witnessed the impact of hopelessness first hand on many occasions. To learn more about Kristina or make a donation towards her goal of $6,000, visit her CrowdRise page.

Michael DuBose: after enlisting and serving in the Marines in the early 1980s, Michael has observed how the suicide rate for soldiers and veterans has risen to the point we are at today, with an average of 22 military suicides daily. He is honored to remember his fellow soldiers and raise awareness of this very important issue through his run of the Boston Marathon this year. To learn more about Michael or make a donation towards his goal of $15,000, visit his CrowdRise page.

Help the team reach their collective goal of $130,000 for our life saving services:

Make a donation. Donate to the Samaritans team or directly to individual runners by visiting CrowdRise.
Qualified for the Boston Marathon and want to make your run more meaningful? Join our team!
Sponsor the team! Corporate sponsorship comes with a variety of great benefits, learn more here.
Do you have access to bib numbers? We still have one Alternate Runner waiting to receive a bib for the 2016 Boston Marathon, as well as others willing to start training and fundraising at a moments notice.

Out & About

It has been a very busy and exciting month in the Prevention department here at Samaritans! Community Education & Outreach visited Arlington High School for four full days of "How To Help a Friend" workshops for 9th and 10th graders. The outreach kicked off with a screening of the documentary, Samaritans: You are Not Alone, followed by an informative and engaging Q&A session with representatives from Samaritans, educators and school counselors from the Arlington Public Schools, and mental health specialists from the Arlington community. While some students were shy at first, the four days spent working with students was a success, and both the health teachers and school counselors were eager to work with Samaritans again, as well as find ways to continue the conversation with their students. Suicide prevention training is an essential community need. If your school, company or community organization is interested in arranging a training, click here.

Click on the image on the right to watch some of the Q&A from our visit to the Arlington Public Schools!

Welcome our newest staff members, Rose and Ruth!

Rose grew up in the Boston area, and after two years of post-college employment working with youth afterschool in Boston and doing non-profit administration, she realized that it was a time for a change, and left to serve in the Peace Corps in Ukraine. Upon returning from Ukraine, she worked for the United States Department of Labor as a labor union investigator. During this time, she began volunteering at Samaritans, and her experiences volunteering cultivated a strong interest in suicide prevention, thus leading to her desire to work full time for Samaritans in her new role as the Community Education and Outreach Coordinator. Outside of work, Rose enjoys such things as board games, exploring Boston on foot, cooking, and playing softball. Rose is thrilled to begin working for Samaritans and bridge her passion for suicide prevention with her experiences teaching, and is excited to be in a roll that truly impacts the community.

Ruth has lived and worked in the Greater Boston area for the past 18 years. She has extensive experience leading teams who are working with vulnerable populations whether it is with survivors of domestic violence, homeless individuals and families and most recently men and women who are living with substance use disorder and HIV/AIDS. Ruth has served on the Board of Directors of the GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project, a non-profit in Cambridge providing critical services to GLBTQ survivors of domestic violence. For the past 5 years she has participated in the "Winter Plunge" an exciting event where friends of the agency plunge into the Atlantic in February (usually in costume). Ruth has consistently been a top fundraiser. Ruth enjoys city gardening, cooking savory meals for friends and family, dancing, hiking and listening to music of all kinds. Ruth is excited to join Samaritans and share her experience in non-profit management and continue to provide quality services to those seeking their services.

Upcoming Events

February

Get fit with Marathon Team Member Michael Monestime for the Love Your Body Zumba fundraiser at Dance Complex (536 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge) - Saturday, February 13th from 2-3PM, $12 in advance, $15 at the door, contact us for more details
Our new support group for families and friends supporting someone who's attempted suicide or struggling with suicidal ideation will be starting on Thursday, February 25. For more information, please contact Debbie DiMasi at ddimasi@samaritanshope.org
Need a haircut? Head to Foley's Barber Shop (20 Albion Street, Wakefield) for another way to support Marathon Team Member Michael Monestime, and look good while doing it- Saturday, February 27th from 8AM - 6PM, $15 per haircut, $13 for kids under 12 and seniors 62+

March

Grab super soft leggings, beautiful dresses, and other comfortable and fashionable clothes from LuLaRoe AND support Samaritans at the same time during the LuLaRoe online shopping event for suicide prevention. March 3 - 5th, in the comfort of your own home! RSVP here

May

Grief Support Services Volunteer Training to be held in May and June of 2016. Contact Grief Support Service manager Emily Britt for more information.
Mark your calendars for this year's Breakfast for Hope - Thursday, May 26th, reception begins at 7AM, program at 8AM at The Westin Copley Place, RSVP today

October

Save the date: The 5K Run/Walk for Suicide Prevention will be held on October 1, 2016 at Artesani Park! Registration opens April 1, register by May 31 and save $5

Open Positions

Interested in preventing suicide as a Samaritans' staff member or intern? We are currently accepting applications for:

Development Manager
Overnight Helpline Coordinator
Development and Marketing Intern, spring or summer
Special Events Intern, summer
Crisis Services Summer Internship and Volunteer Opportunities