TSPN October 2020 Newsletter
  • Suicide Prevention Awareness Month 2020 recap
  • Speak Up campaign
  • New TSPN resources
  • 988 Hotline Update
  • Upcoming events
  • In the Know: news & resources
  • Donor recognition
  • Tile of the Month
SPA Month Recap

Our statewide event, Vision of Hope 2020, was a huge success on September 9, drawing in more than 250 viewers. Our regional events throughout the state also had outstanding turnout; we saw SPA Month engagement in all 9 regions of our state.

We owe a huge thank you to our sponsors, advocates, and volunteers for making our events this year as special as ever during COVID-19.

Friends of TSPN in the South Central region participate in the 2020 Rembrance2Resilience Walk


A memorial board set up
as part of the Northeast region's
SPA Month activities

If you are interested in viewing the recording of our statewide event or a regional TSPN event, visit our homepage!

Speak Up Campaign

We are keeping the suicide prevention awareness train rolling
into October through the 2020 Speak Up campaign!
The Speak Up, Save Lives campaign began in Jackson, TN in 2015 with the goal
to create a community in which messages of suicide resources and support are present, ultimately saving lives by reducing stigma. The campaign has since grown into a statewide initiative.

If you ordered your shirt in September:

On October 27th, post a picture of yourself wearing the shirt, use the hashtag #tspnvisionofhope, tag TSPN, and challenge five friends to do the same!
New TSPN Resources

We are always working on updating and expanding our TSPN resource offerings.
We have new pull-tab sheets with the Crisis Text Line and Statewide Crisis Line info available for download on our website! Print and display them in your school, office, business, or organization.

Our 2020 Status of Suicide Report will be available online very soon, as well.

Don't forget: you can always order TSPN materials through the TAADAS Clearinghouse
free of charge! Click here to view what's available.

Congress passes National Suicide Hotline Designation Act

On September 21, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the
National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S.2661). This legislation will implement the three-digit "9-8-8" hotline number through funding guidance, federal reporting, and specialized services for communities at high risk.

The bipartisan bill was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate in May 2020; the number change was also approved by the FCC in July 2020.

This act is being heralded as a win for suicide prevention advocates. “We continue to move in the right direction,” stated Misty Leitsch, the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network’s Interim Executive Director. “If we can educate and promote the 988 number, just as we do 911, we can save thousands of lives. I believe, when taught early, properly, and consistently, we can reduce the stigma that is often associated with mental illness.”

The 988 crisis hotline will not be available nationally until July 2022. Please continue to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Upcoming Events
Join us October 30 for our First Responders Task Force webinar.
You can find out more about this webinar and register here.
We are thrilled to be teaming up with the Tennessee School of Beauty
for a series of suicide prevention awareness events and fundraisers! The first event in the series, a virtual run, kicks off November 1. From the event's Facebook page:


Starting in November 2020, run or walk 1.4 miles each day, November through January 2021...OR...complete a total of 48.3 miles any time during that timeframe. Run for yourself, or for someone important to you.

The distances were selected to make us aware of two very important facts:

- The 1.4 miles/day option: In 2018, there were 1.4 million suicide attempts in the United States alone. Not only will the distance allow us to remember the importance of our cause, it’s also a great little streak to set for being active every day. One of the best things we can do for ourselves is to remain physically active, so let’s set healthy patterns
for a great cause.

- The 48.3 total miles option reflects that fact that in 2018, 48,344 people died by suicide.

Everyone that completes either event distances receives
a very special commemorative shirt.



Stay tuned for more info on upcoming events
sponsored by the TN School of Beauty benefiting TSPN!

Donor Recognition

We would like to recognize the following donors for their generous contributions toward suicide prevention in Tennessee:

Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility
Elizabeth Skinner Orgeron
Jacqueline Talley
Darlene Bryant
Charles Young
Rebecca Vaught
LL McFadyen-Ketchum
Mike and Brenda Purcell

International Wall of Suicide:
Tile of the Month, Joseph Fry
Joseph was a kind, loving and generous soul. He always kept the underdog and underprivileged in mind and worked so hard in his 21 short years to make this world a better place for others. His kindness was far reaching in our community and he is loved and missed by so many.

Want to volunteer? Sign up for a Training? Click the buttons below to get involved!
Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network | tspn.org