Gratiot County Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention Coalition

Can you believe that it is September already?!



With all of the changes that we all have experienced over the past few years, I wanted to let you know that your Gratiot County Substance and Suicide Prevention Program continues to focus on Suicide Prevention and Awareness throughout our County. 

The staff and Coalition members have been working tirelessly to make sure that our efforts continue to provide education and support to the residents of Gratiot County. We have been attending trainings, hosting our coalition meetings, planning for this upcoming school year, and planning our September Suicide Prevention and Awareness events.

As the Program Director, I wanted to take this time to invite anyone whom has been contemplating or curious about our Coalition, to join us for our upcoming meeting September 9, 2024 at 1:00PM at Child Advocacy in Alma. It is our mission to collect and share data in order to develop and implement prevention strategies. It is also our mission to promote and inspire community collaboration to reduce the misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, or other substances among youth and adults, along with providing education regarding suicide prevention and awareness. At this specific meeting we will be welcoming Gwen Kapcia, LBSM, CT, Author of Not Another Lasagna, to present to us all on Preparing the Pathway for Healing.

Throughout the month of September GCSSSPP continues to team up with our amazing community partners to bring you other events such as Goat Yoga... YES! GOAT YOGA! with ZenLightenment Wellness Center. Yoga in Patty Macha’s Oasis of a Garden! Our very own, Rachael Wakley, doing her first Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) Training as well as a new event, Hope in the Park! GCSSPP is also planning on hosting informational booths at our Farmer’s Markets, Fields of Flags and much more.

GCSSPP will also have Cont;nue shirts on sale for $15 each and $10 for Gratiot County Students, while supplies last.

If you are interested in hosting a Field of Flags to show your support, please email Leah Hutchins at leah@childadvocacy.net.

GCSSPP is also excited to share the news that we are working towards implementation of a new curriculum, called Signs of Suicide. GCSSPP staff has access and will be trained in the middle and high school curriculums! This was made possible through a grant approved through MyMichigan Medical Center Alma as well as a generous donation made by the family of Jaron Czachowrski. GCSSPP is extremely thankful to have been the recipients of these generous partnerships in order to continue our mission of suicide prevention!

To be added to our contact list to learn about meeting locations, or other questions regarding our September Events, please email GCSSPP Director, Emily Rayburn at emily@childadvocacy.net!

We look forward to welcoming you to our group and seeing you at one of our amazing events!

Remember—you matter! 

Emily Rayburn

Gratiot County Substance and Suicide Prevention Program Director