The Purple Almond

UPDATE: JULY 25, 2018

Hello everyone. On January 15, 2017, I posted this article about the Suicide Prevention Collaborative.  My sister, Renee Penticoff, is a co-founder of this organization. I received an Facebook invite, which is what prompted the idea to rerun this post.

I received the email below last year, July, 2017, but want to include it now, as it explains the Suicide Prevention Collaborative, what this wonderful organization does and the 5k run/walk.

I hope you can take a minute to read about this organization. If you don’t live in Minnesota, and can’t take part in the  5k run/walk, perhaps you’ll consider donating to this worthy cause. God bless and Namaste my friends.

Here is my sister’s email request, in her own words:

“Dear friends,

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Tonight I have a very special edition of daily inspiration, which  deals with a serious and important topic, teen suicide.

The non-profit for today’s daily inspiration is from the eastern part of the Twin Cities in Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minnesota and St. Paul, Minnesota-for those readers in other parts of the world.) The organization is called the Suicide Prevention Collaborative (SPC). This amazing organization, made up of professionals and volunteers, work to bring awareness to and prevent teen suicide,  as well as remove the stigma associated with mental illness. Their Facebook page is dedicated to teens in the Washington County, Minnesota area discussing these important issues.

The SPC hopes to:

• Educate the people of the community regarding the problem of suicide in the community
• Increase awareness for the need to identify and treat teens at risk for suicide
• Increase understanding of symptoms of mental illness and warning signs of suicide.
• Increase awareness of area mental health resources and how to access them.
• Working with community partners, the SPC will establish suicide prevention programs throughout the community.

The mission of the Suicide Prevention Cooperative is: 

SPC is committed to increasing awareness about depression and other mental illnesses, the warning signs of suicide and the need for professional treatment. By educating the public about suicide, individuals at risk can be identified and treated, and the stigma associated with mental illness and suicide can be reduced.

• Website: http://suicidepreventioncollaborativemn.org/
• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TeensTalkinginWashingtonCountyMN

Here are some of these wonderful people:

 

 

The SPC will be hosting the 8th annual 5k walk/run on September 15, 2018. If you are interested in participating or know of anyone in the Minnesota area who would be interested,  please pass this information on to them. To sign up, you can find the link here.

 

Below is a Ted Talks video of Kevin Breel, a writer, comedian and mental health advocate. In April, 2014, the Suicide Prevention Collaborative hosted Kevin at a public speaking engagement, to help increase awareness of teen suicide and help decrease the stigma of mental illness. Take a look: (It’s 10:56)

This is a link to a Suicide Prevention App. which works anywhere in the world!

The app is: “A free tool that helps you understand the warning signs, but also one that guides you through the questions you should be asking and provides you with plans on how to respond and support someone in need. Also featuring a step-by-step safety plan and linkage to a 24/7 hotline and text platform for additional support. Including a searchable map to find emergency and mental health services near you, anywhere in the world.”

This slide show has the numbers and/or websites for several different suicide prevention hotlines.

 

 

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UPDATE: JULY 25, 2017 The original article had a different video than the  one below, but has since been removed from youtube. Here is a video, from the Mayo Clinic, describing common signs a teen is contemplating suicide:

For more information on

The Suicide Prevention Collaborative,

click on the following link.

CLICK HERE: About Us | Suicide Prevention Collaborative East Metro Area, Minnesota

ATTENTION:  I am always looking for wonderful non-profits to highlight on my daily inspiration posts. (Preferably small ones) If you have a non-profit you’d like me to highlight, please send me a note with the form on my contact page. THANK YOU!