South Carolina Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention marks 10 year anniversary
October 8, 2018
This October, the South Carolina Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention marks ten years of dedicated service in raising suicide awareness and prevention programs. The local chapter’s first effort started in 2005 with an Out of the Darkness Walk and the official state charter was presented in 2008.
Helen Pridgen is SC Area Director and has been with the local organization since day one. “There were less than 200 people at our first walk and this year we will well exceed 3,000 in South Carolina. AFSP provides a place where those who have lost loved ones and those who have struggled themselves can be proactively involved. We believe that suicide is preventable… lives matter…lives can be saved,” said Helen.
The South Carolina Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has been very active in the state by advocating for positive change on the legislative front, helping in the education arena by bringing suicide prevention programs to schools and colleges, funding research, and extremely active across the state in numerous ways, including staging Out of the Darkness Walks in seven strategic areas of South Carolina. To find a walk near you please go here: https://tinyurl.com/y956ptqn
There is still much work to do in suicide prevention in South Carolina as the state numbers for completed suicides are slightly higher than the national average. “Having a central office dedicated to providing programs and forming partnership are crucial to our efforts here in South Carolina. We are grateful for all the support of our residents. Their support is the reason we have become a go-to organization in ten years,” said Helen Pridgen “and we are always looking for places to take our message and new faces to help volunteer for the organization.”
The 10 Year milestone will be announced at all the upcoming walks and the board plans on commemorating this achievement at their next meeting.
About AFSP
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, and with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
The South Carolina page for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention can be found here: https://afsp.org/chapter/afsp-south-carolina/
