The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program is partnering with the film To Save A Life to help kick off the 15th Annual Yellow Ribbon Suicide Awareness and Prevention week, September 5-11, 2010. In chapters all across the country, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign will be showing the film, and kicking off the conversation on how to reach out to the hurting youth in our communities.
The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Awareness and Prevention Week coincides with National To Save A Life week, which runs September 6-12.
“Yellow Ribbon Week and To Save A Life Week are both September events to help youth/ teens begin their school year feeling empowered and knowing that trusted adults are there for them should they ever need to ‘Ask4Help!’,” explains Dale and Dar Emme, Executive Directors of Yellow Ribbon. “No teen should ever have to feel alone! We are there for them!”
The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program was founded in 1994 after Dale and Dar lost their son Mike to suicide. Yellow Ribbon is a founding member of the National Council for Suicide Prevention. This non-profit community based program empowers and educates professionals, adults and youth in issues surrounding teen suicide and depression. With over 300 Chapters/Program Sites nationwide, Yellow Ribbon also provides Gatekeeper training, support for survivors, community action plans for suicide prevention and postvention, and hosts seminars, workshops and events. Yellow Ribbon’s Restore Hope Campaign is a traveling campaign using Mike’s original ’68 Mustang to take on the road as the ‘vehicle’ to collect Messages of Hope from youth in communities along with local awareness, training and events, in partnership with local agencies and clubs.
To Save A Life deals honestly and directly with the issues facing teens today, and gives a face to hurting teens. The strong message of youth reaching out and being a friend and advocate for their peers has resonated with teens worldwide. Thousands have written in to the To Save A Life movie site, telling their often heartbreaking stories. Since the film’s release in theaters in January, a community has started on Facebook with over 184,000 fans who are helping each other navigate the hardships of life, and making sure that no one has to go through life’s challenges alone. Now that the DVD is available in stores and through rental channels, the hope is even more teens can see the film and be inspired that their life truly has a purpose.
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