When we lose one HS student each year, know two recent graduates of our HS who have taken their lives and have documented 20% of our HS students have made a suicide plan (Health Youth Survey data 2014), then we are beyond critical breaking point of meeting their needs. Two rural school districts and multiple community partners are working together to inform, support and demystify the stigma of reaching out for help. As a board member of the Snoqualmie Valley Community Network, I have worked closely with parents who have lost or were close to losing their children to suicide and substance abuse. Each story becomes our passion, my passion, to break down those barriers of stigma. Each time we raise awareness of the signs of suicide, I hear how this knowledge has saved another family member. When we provide classes on refusal skills, I hear how families are able to strengthen their teens confidence in the face of peer pressure. I know their struggles, as a parent. I know the pain, as a parent. I know this organization brings hope to our community; it brought hope to my family.
Review from #MyGivingStory