Sharing Kindness Inc.的动态

Transcript

Our primary goal has always been to raise awareness around suicide, and you are all doing that, each one of you, by being here today. Final Walker count to be determined, but approximately 500 walkers signed up 25 teams and rumor has it gonna be our most successful walk to date. By ending the silence around suicide, we can forge connection, we can build community, and suicide loss survivors can receive the support that they need to heal. Thank you, suicide loss survivors, for being here today. Hi, I'm here to walk from my best friend Paul who lost his life to suicide. I am here with a Cape Cod Athletic Club. We are the presenting sponsor of this walk and we are here because a member of our CAC family lost a loved one to suicide. Grateful for sharing kindness and what they've been able to achieve in just such a short time. It really speaks to the need in our community. This organization does a lot to support people for suicide awareness and for grief support, and that's why I'm here, because I know how important those services are. One of the toughest parts was the isolation. People avoided me and I avoided them. Nobody knew what to say because there was still a lot of stigma around suicide. So to say that I'm honored to stand before you today is an understatement. I love that this annual walk is a place where survivors can come to share their memories and find support in others who truly understand. A place to come for hope, a place to come for healing. On the CDC, they have about 7, what they call suicide prevention strategies. And one of the strategies is promoting healthy connections. And in order for you to do that, it talks about bringing community together to engage in a shared activity. And this is what we're doing. This is epitomizes that is that we're bringing individuals together. All of the funds stay here on the Cape and Islands to provide programming. I want to tell you. About two of the programs we offer the first Hope Squad, an evidence based best practice suicide prevention program for schools. With funding from last year's walk, we added seven more Hope Squad schools on Cape Cod. With the funds from this walk, we will be adding four more schools. The second program, peer grief support, because grief support is suicide prevention. The funds you raise will fund these and other programs so that we may expand the important work of sharing kindness, decreasing suicide risk, and nurturing a healthier, more resilient shared community. As we walk these familiar paths again, let's renew our commitment to fight against the shadows of stigma and silence. Each step we take today, let it be a step towards understanding, acceptance, and support. Let's walk today to honor those we lost, to honor those who are struggling, and to please say something to someone here and know that if you're not alone and that there are people here who care and want to help you. I hope you have already felt the incredible community that's generated by this walk. To those here today that struggle, please know that there is a community here that cares about you and is working diligently. To improve both access and reduce stigma so that we can all thrive. You are not alone, not here, not today.