June 2021 Call to Action

The monthly newsletter of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network

Hello, everyone-- I want to start off by saying a big thank you to those of you who attended our June 2021 Advisory Council meeting, both online and in-person at Montgomery Bell State Park! It was great to see our Advisory Council members, regional volunteers, and statewide staff all together for the first time in a long time. Be on the lookout for more in-person events, trainings, volunteer opportunities, and more to pop up as the summer months roll on (as well as more info on our in-person statewide September event!). We hope you all are enjoying the warm weather and making time for yourself and your loved ones. Thank you, as always, for making TSPN so great!

-Misty

We held our June 2021 Advisory Council meeting at beautiful Montgomery Bell State Park. Those in attendance heard updates from TSPN staff, committees, and regions, as well as the TN Department of Health and TN Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. It was wonderful to see everyone in person and on Zoom!

If you would like to view and/or listen to a recording of the meeting, please email tspn@tspn.org.

TSPN staff attended our annual staff retreat in early June at Montgomery Bell, as well. We worked hard and played hard to develop professionally together and get to know several new staff members.

We at TSPN want to give a very special thank-you to Carolyn Black Dougall and family of Knoxville, Tennessee for their extremely generous gift of $30,000 to TSPN, given in remembrance of their son, Cameron Johnston Dougall.

Carolyn remembers her son’s intelligence, curiosity and love of learning. Cameron was a voracious reader, an accomplished athlete and musician, and a loyal friend; he also spent four years in the U.S. Marines prior to attending college and worked on several important communications projects during that time. Cameron enjoyed interests in art, politics, climbing, and travel, as well.

Carolyn shared, "I want to donate to the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, so some mother keeps her son or daughter." We look forward to honoring Cameron's memory and the Dougall family in the future.

TSPN says farewell this month to Grace Eakin, our Mid-Cumberland Regional Director. We thank Grace for her hard work and dedication, and we wish her every success on her personal and professional journeys!

From Grace: “I want to thank Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network for this opportunity to serve the region, and the state, in efforts to prevent suicide. I want to also thank the many volunteers who supported the region, working long hours and finding creative ways to reach Tennesseans. To the staff – your friendships and support over the years have been nothing short of incredible. I have learned from each experience, grown both professionally and personally, and wish everyone the best.”

We are excited to welcome Stephanie Cavnar to the TSPN family; Stephanie will serve as a TSPN statewide intern this summer, stationed in central office. Stephanie is a Nashville native and a 2019 graduate of the University of Alabama.

From Stephanie: "I am currently pursuing my master's degree in criminology at the University of Colorado, Denver. My goal is to further my education and get my PhD in clinical psychology and work in trauma especially with military. I will be interning with TSPN this summer and helping with the resource guide and will hopefully get a chance to work with the veterans as well. I am excited to be a part of this team!"

This research study opportunity for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community with lived experience was recently announced (via the University of North Carolina in Charlotte). Click here or email the contacts in the flyer above for more details.

Have you saved the date?

Get your flapper and dapper attire ready-- our September Suicide Prevention Awareness statewide event will be here before you know it! Stay tuned for the link to register, as well as highlights leading up to the event in the coming months.

Is your organization interested in sponsoring our statewide event?

Click here to download the 2021 sponsorship form