Giving Thanks and News this November

All school nurses In VBCPS are now trained in QPR so they can recognize warning signs for suicide in their students and help them get support and care.  A school nurse is often the first person to notice that a student is struggling with their mental health. Each nurse received a national certification for their time spent learning about signs of suicide, how to ask questions, and how to refer someone to more support. Thank you to Virginia Beach Schools for this important partnership!

The Knights of Columbus Council 367 hosted a suicide awareness presentation on Nov. 4th.  We are looking forward to returning with training for all of the members in Question, Persuade, & Refer.

Programs also were presented at Norfolk Academy, ODU Catholic Campus Ministry, and Calvary Evangelical Baptist Church.

Thanks to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) for sponsoring Question Persuade and Refer programs at four African American Churches in Norfolk.  The turnout at these programs and the genuine concern shown by members for each other and for our youth was truly inspirational!  We hope to provide many more such programs in 2025. (Let us know if you know a potential funder!)

Grace Lutheran Church is generously donating all of the proceeds from their annual Flea Market which was held last Saturday. We appreciate everyone who turned out to help make our vision of a World Without Suicide a reality!  We are so thankful for their support!

HUGE THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS!

See those smiling faces at our tent in the photo above? Those are some of our volunteers who have been at fairs, mental health walks, various types of schools and training centers, and, yes, the Flea Market this fall.  We couldn't do this life-saving work without them, and we are so very grateful for their gifts of time. It matters.

Here is a testimonial showing the importance of our work:

“I just wanted to let you know that I believe timing is everything and how grateful I am that I was able to participate in training yesterday with the Virginia Beach School Nurses and receive the information. I encountered a Facebook post from a high school friend who is having a tough time. Her mother passed away a year or two ago and she said Nothing is good since she died. Today is a sad/hopeless day and she can't do it anymore. I haven't seen her in over 30 years, but I decided to reach out via Facebook messenger to check in on her, to let her know I was here to listen if she needed someone to talk to.

She messaged me back. She said she appreciated me reaching out and she felt less alone. I don't know if I would have thought to or had the nerve to reach out had I not just sat through Amy's presentation.

Thank you so much for the work that you and your foundation does.”

Have you thought about volunteering?

Mark Your Calendars.

The next Volunteer Training is Tuesday, November 12 at 6:30pm via Zoom. Click here to email Amy Woods for the Zoom Link.

2024 is coming to an end, and we need YOUR support. The Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation receives almost 90% of our funding from individual donors like YOU, and most of it comes in the last few months of the year. If you have not yet given, or are able to give again, PLEASE consider a donation in support of creating a World Without Suicide.  Our work in 2025 depends on it!

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