October 2021 Call to Action

The monthly newsletter of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network

Hey friends! We at TSPN can't thank you enough for all the time and energy you all put into making National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month great this year, in every part of the state. Please know that we see your efforts, and we appreciate and celebrate them so much!

October is a month full of observances, as well; this month in particular we are highlighting Bullying Prevention Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, among others. Check out some resources to engage with these issues later on in the newsletter!

-Misty

In this issue

September recap

New hire announcement

Statewide suicide prevention program directory release

and more!

We can't thank our staff, Advisory Council members, volunteers, and collaborators enough for making Suicide Prevention Awareness Month 2021 such a success. Check out these photos and videos from awareness events & exhibits across the state.

TSPN staff at night one of our statewide event, 2020 Reboot

Coffee County Out of the Darkness Walk

L;ive, Love, Run (South Central Region) participants

A runner is awarded at L;ve, Love, Run

UT Martin SPA Month Walk (Northwest Region)

UT Martin Delta Sigma Theta candlelight vigil

Southwest Region's Stop the Stigma sign campaign

MADSAM Suicide Prevention Walk

Friends cheer on L;ve, Love, Run participants

MTSU Mental Health & Wellness Fair (Mid-Cumberland Region)

Morton the dog raising awareness!

UT Martin mental health campaign kick-off

Placing signs around Jackson

Suicide prevention colors on display at Roane State Community College event (East Region)

WATCH: Algood Middle School (Upper Cumberland Region) choir performance for SPA Month

We were also able to recognize more winners of our regional and statewide Suicide Prevention Awareness Awards in person. Congrats again to all of this year's winners!

Jason Abernathy

Northeast Regional Award Winner

The Tullahoma News

Statewide Media Partner Award Winner

Throughout September, our volunteers worked incredibly hard to secure city and county proclamations declaring September as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. We are so appreciative of the time and effort that was put into this endeavor this year! Check out a couple of photos of proclamations gathered around the state below.

McMinn County (Southeast Region)

Monroe County (East Region)

Blount County

(East Region)

Proclamation display at our statewide event, including statewide proclamation signed by Governor Lee

More than 40 people from as far as New York state attended the dedication for the International Suicide Memorial Wall, held September 18 at the TAADAS/TSPN office.

Members of the Parents of Suicides/Friends and Families of Suicides (POS-FFOS) online support group created the Wall in 2006 as a physical memorial to their lost loved ones. Since then, over 800 people have been memorialized in this project, representing 46 U.S. states and 18 countries spanning every continent.

The Wall was originally housed in Columbia, tended by POS-FFOS founder and longtime TSPN Advisory Council member Karyl Chastain Beal. The Wall moved to the offices TSPN then shared with Mental Health America of the Mid-South in 2017, and it was later re-installed at TSPN’s new offices within TAADAS earlier this year.

Every year since the Wall’s inception has included at least one in-person or virtual reading of names of those honored there. This year’s event marked the formal dedication and first viewing of the Wall since it went up at TSPN’s new location. TSPN staff will remain the caretakers of the memorial and handle arrangements for any loved ones who wish to visit.

Anyone interested in scheduling a visit to the Wall may email tspn@tspn.org. The Wall is still accepting memorial panels; those interested can email karylofcolumbai@cs.com for details.

TSPN is excited to welcome new staff member Kayla Sharpe to the team. Kayla serves as TSPN's Northeast Regional Director.

Kayla Sharpe is a proud Johnson City native. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Health with emphasis on Community and Behavioral Health and Family Studies from East Tennessee State University.

Prior to coming on board with TSPN, Kayla served as a Health Educator for Washington County’s Health Department focusing her efforts on teen/adolescent pregnancy prevention and violence prevention. Her passion for improving access to mental health supports is underscored by her personal struggle with depression and suicide loss, as well as her belief that mental wellness is the foundation for healthier families and stronger communities. She believes that all communities and people are affected by suicide and that open, honest communications about the pervasiveness of suicide is critical to reducing its incidence.

Having watched family members and close friends struggle to get the help they both needed and deserved, Kayla has devoted her career to helping those struggling against the barriers of racism, discrimination, poverty, and rural community access. In her free time, Kayla enjoys spending time with her cat and two dogs, hiking, kayaking, curling up with a good book, cooking meals for friends, and serving her community as a board member for her local Children’s Advocacy Center.

Statewide suicide prevention resource directory release

We are proud to present the 2021-2022 Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resource Directory in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Health. The resource directory can be found online here.

The resource directory provides basic information on what to look for, when to act, and who to contact for the various situations that may factor into a mental health emergency or suicidal crisis. It also offers resources and services available across the state, guidance on population groups who are at high risk for suicide, the programs and coalitions working to prevent suicide in our state, and the laws and policies governing Tennessee's suicide prevention efforts.

The directory will be updated throughout the year, and any agencies/organizations interested in being added to the resource directory should complete the agency/organization form listed at the end of directory.

Please share this directory with your communities far and wide!

2021 Out of the Darkness Community Walks

TSPN has partnered with the Tennessee chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP TN) on its Out of the Darkness Community Walks this year to raise awareness and bring hope to those affected by suicide.

These events give people the courage to open up about their own connections to the cause, and a platform to create a culture that’s smarter about mental health. Friends, family members, neighbors and coworkers walk side-by-side, supporting each other and in memory of those we’ve lost. Each is being held in-person with appropriate/required COVID restrictions in place. Now, more than ever, it’s important to be there for one another and take steps to safeguard our mental health and prevent suicide.