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"I'm so grateful for all the volunteers, and I wouldn't be here today without Samaritans."- Helpline Caller
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Thanking Our Amazing Volunteers
On the Wall of Love
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 April is National Volunteer Month. At Samaritans, we are so fortunate to have many caring individuals who give of their time and heart to deliver Samaritans' life saving services.
Whether it is taking calls and texts from people who desperately need to be heard, helping to support fellow suicide loss survivors through the painful journey of grief and healing, or working to decrease stigma by supporting Samaritans events, our amazing
volunteers make a difference every day.
Join us in thanking our incredible volunteers by supporting the work that they do and sharing a message on our Wall of Love.
Each heart on the Samaritans Wall of Love is available for $25, or an amount that is meaningful to you, and your gift provides training and support for Samaritans volunteers. Your personal message will be shared with our amazing volunteers.
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NSPL Volunteer of the Week
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Win a Trip to South Africa- Closes Marathon Monday
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The Samaritans Boston Marathon Team is raffling two incredible trips for a Photo Safari in South Africa. Tickets are $50 each or 3 for $100. You can enjoy the trip of a lifetime and be amazed by the beautiful nature and majestic animals that South Africa has to offer. Spend your days looking at giraffes, elephants and zebras and your nights relaxing at the Safari lodge.
Valued at $6,000, each raffle prize includes 6 nights accommodation for two in a standard room at the Heritage Safari Lodge or the Hemingway Tented Safari Camp, all meals, with gourmet breakfasts and delicious buffet dinners, and two Safari rides per day on the beautiful Zulu Nyala Game Reserve with an experienced ranger.
Learn more or purchase tickets at
http://bit.do/SamsRaffle. The drawing will take place at 6:30 pm on Monday, April 17th, after our team completes their Boston Marathon run. Ticket sales close at 6pm.
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| Meet our 2017 Boston Marathon Team! |
On Monday, the Samaritans Boston Marathon Team will run 26.2 miles for suicide prevention. Our goal is to raise $200,000 for suicide prevention. To donate to our team or one of our amazing runners, check out our
CrowdRise page
!
Meet four of the 19 members of our outstanding team:
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- Steve Watson: I have been honored to support the work of Samaritans for the past two years. Losing a childhood choir director, a former colleague, and a friend from church was too much for me to stay on the sidelines of suicide prevention and awareness.
Core to my own life spiritual journey is a celebration of abundant life. Let's elevate a culture of joy and compassion and health and resilience and friendship and... LIFE in our city. #WeChoosetoLIVE. To learn more about Steve or make a donation towards his goal, visit his CrowdRise Page.
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 Tara Blake: I am incredibly honored to be running the 2017 Boston Marathon to raise money and awareness for Samaritans.
I will be running the 2017 Boston Marathon in memory of Preston Grover. Preston was only 23 when we lost him. He was kind, fun to be around, a talented graphic designer, artist and truly passionate about music.
The 26.2 miles that I will be running on April 17th will be dedicated to Preston's Mom (Terri) and sister (Kelsey) who have worked tirelessly to bring suicide awareness and prevention to the community. Suicide has touched the lives of many people that I know and love, which is why I am working hard to raise the funds needed for Samaritans to provide these much needed services.
To learn more about Tara or make a donation towards her goal, visit her
CrowdRise Page.
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- Timothy Granger: Tim grew up with his only brother James "JJ" Granger; both brothers were close. The two bonded over their love of sports, especially football. Tragically in late 2014, JJ took his own life due to struggles with depression. His death was devastating to his family and friends, especially his loving parents Kathy and Jim. To memorialize their youngest son they started a small football scholarship program at his former high school.
Tim began running when he moved to the Boston area as a way to get back into shape. Eventually running turned into more than an exercise activity and became his means to cope with the loss of his brother. Over time through the support of his friends and family Tim has healed and he is ready to honor his brother by running his first marathon. He is proud to run with the Samaritans in order to help raise awareness about mental illness and promote their fantastic efforts in suicide awareness and prevention. To learn more about Timothy or make a donation towards his goal, visit his CrowdRise Page.
Tim grew up in Worcester, MA and currently lives in Somerville, MA. He works as a Biomedical Engineer for the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife. He is also completing his final year of a Master's degree in Bioengineering at Northeastern University.
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 Veronica Reichardt: Veronica is a 33 year-old Nantucket Island native. She grew up with three siblings- two sisters and a brother, but tragically lost her brother from suicide. She has been bartending for the last fifteen years and graduated from Fitchburg State in 2005. In 2010, she married her husband, George, and they have two children- 5 year old Trey, 3 year old Carli June and a dog named Apple. Veronica starting running again in August 2014 after she needed a hobby that she was passionate about. Since 2014, she's run hundreds of miles and this year she's looking forward to running her third Boston Marathon in memory of her brother, Vaughn. She feels privileged and determined to run for such an amazing organization. To learn more about Veronica or make a donation towards her goal, visit her CrowdRise Page.
Thanks to the John Hancock Boston Marathon Non-Profit, this is the 10th consecutive year that Samaritans will have a team running the 26.2 miles.
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| Grief Support through Storytelling |
"In the face of events that threaten to overwhelm our lives, storytelling gives us a way of reclaiming ourselves and reaffirming our connections with other people--those who listen to our stories and, by doing so, bear witness with us."
~ Victoria Alexander, In the Wake of Suicide: Stories of the People Left Behind
Losing a loved one to suicide is one of the most devastating happenings one can experience; you may hurt so badly, you can hardly bear to think about your loved one or how they passed away. Talking about it comes with even more difficulty, as does finding someone who truly understands your grief and what you are going through. Eventually, though, you may feel ready to tell your story.
Samaritans' Grief Support Services (GSS) is a program dedicated to bringing support to loss survivors during an impossible, tragic time. GSS provides a safe, comforting environment for survivors to come together to talk about their experiences, share in their grief, and learn from one another. The program is composed of devoted and compassionate volunteers that understand the extraordinary grief that comes with losing a loved one to suicide as they, too, have suffered this unimaginable loss. If you find yourself in need of support after a loss, or would like to learn more about our services, please visit
http://samaritanshope.org/our-services/grief-support-services/
.
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"I have learned a number of skills through my internship at Samaritans,
but I am most appreciative of the one that has taught me how to listen." -Nina Levine, Boston University School of Social Work Intern
I am interning at Samaritans for 720 hours to complete my program. Although it was difficult at times to juggle several commitments including school, internship and a job, my experience at Samaritans has been eye-opening and I am grateful for the time I have had here.
With less than a month left at Samaritans, I have been reflecting on the past 9 months. I was fortunate enough to spend time with both the Development and Crisis Services Team. Although I have learned about the recruitment and retention of volunteers, how to put on a successful fundraising event, and very concrete and "marketable" skills, what I have learned the most about is myself. I attribute this to the intensive HelpLine training and general environment at Samaritans.
The skill of Befriending has extended beyond my experience on the HelpLine. I have become a more active listener and better at understanding people at a level beyond the surface. I can think of how beneficial this is to my future as a Public Health Social Worker, but it's actually most relevant to how relationships are formed and maintained between friends, co-workers, peers, etc. Knowing how to listen effectively and knowing how to be empathetic is imperative in so many facets of life. If not for Samaritans, I'm not sure if I would have acquired this skill elsewhere.
I am certain that interns and volunteers in the future will find the value in learning this life skill as opposed to some that may appear more marketable. The volunteers and staff at Samaritans are doing such amazing work. For the staff, this is more than just a job, and I feel as though that's what has contributed to a positive learning environment. I'm very thankful to have been a part of Samaritans!
If you are interested in volunteering at Samaritans, contact us about attending an information session. For internship opportunities, visit our website.
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This time of year is usually pretty busy for Community Education and Outreach, and recently we've had some great outreaches with different groups all over Boston and Metrowest. In continuing with our new Boston Public School partnership, we recently taught ninth graders at Boston Latin Academy in Dorchester. The students were fabulous! They were insightful, asked great questions, and shared their own experiences. We look forward to the many upcoming outreaches we have with other Boston schools!
We've also had the recent privilege of educating teachers and administrators during professional development days in both the Braintree school district and the Hamilton-Wenham school district. It's always enjoyable working with teachers; they spend so much time with their students and really want the tools and knowledge of how to support and respond to youth who may be in a crisis. The participants from these two districts drew from their prior experiences engaging with students in crisis, and built upon the skills they already had.
Suicide prevention training is an essential community need. If your school, company or community organization is interested in arranging a training, you can find more information
here, or contact
Lauren.
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Help Earn a Free Ad with the Boston Globe-
deadline April 30.
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Are you a Boston Globe subscriber? If so, we have a favor to ask. Help us earn a free ad in the Globe just by showing your support. Simply go to
BostonGlobe.com/GRANT and enter your subscriber information
and the name and location of our organization before
April 30, 2017. It only takes a minute, and it doesn't cost you a dime.
Your support will be converted into GRANT advertising dollars, which we can redeem for ad space in the Globe. The more dollars raised, the larger the ad - which means more exposure for
Samaritans
and the important work we do.
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| Upcoming Events |
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Cheer for the Samaritans' Marathon Team on Marathon
Monday, April 17, 2017 at Mile 17. Contact
Max Bukowiec for details.
May
September
- Samaritans 5K Run/Walk for Suicide Prevention Saturday, September 23, 2017 at Artesani Park in Brighton! Registration is now open!
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Opportunities at Samaritans!
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Interested in preventing suicide as a Samaritans' voluteer or intern? We are currently accepting applications for:
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Breakfast for Hope - 
