SPTF envisions a county without suicide and aims to accomplish this by implementing a full range of strategies, starting from prevention and early intervention. Your donations to the SPTF will help increase prevention and early intervention services, and help our community members better understand and recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide risk.
The Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging helps provide programs and activities for local senior citizens, from arts and crafts to Medicare counseling, line dancing to home-delivered meals. Your donations to the Area Agency on Aging will help us continue to provide a wide range of services and activities to encourage older Americans to remain healthy, active, and involved in the community.
Your donations to the Step Up program will be used for collateral items (i.e., T-shirts, backpacks, etc.), venue rental, event food, printing, speakers' fees, awards, materials, and other items associated with Step Up—a movement to encourage youth to participate in extracurricular activities, foster positive associations, and connect to constructive social networks.
Contributing toward the support of our local veterans through the VSO General Fund is a great opportunity for the members of the community to give back and thank veterans for their services.
For more than five decades the Lily Pond was a popular water feature in Mooney Grove Park. Due to the increasing cost of repair and maintenance over time, the Lily Pond is been non-functional for the past 15 years. To avoid demolition and to honor the history of the Lily Pond, the County is seeking donations from the community to help repair and restore the Lily Pond.
Donations to the Homeless Fund will help supply toiletries, clothing, identification card/application fees, furnishings, or cooking utensils/appliances, or may fund expenses like a utility bill or car repair for those experiencing, at risk for, or exiting homelessness.
The funds donated to the Human Services At-Risk Youth fund benefit youth who are participating in an employment program and working to make the transition to adulthood and self-sufficiency. This program helps youth in need of emergency monies for necessities such as transportation, work apparel, utilities, medical, dental, and prescription expenses.
On December 18 from 1 to 4 p.m., you can join this online silent auction and speaker event to support suicide prevention in Tulare County. Sponsored annually by Kelly Fox and the Sayre family in memory of her father, Dick Sayre, all proceeds from the event will go to support the Tulare County Suicide Prevention Task Force (SPTF).
To participate, sign up online at https://www.fearlessgenerations.org/break-the-silence by purchasing either a Basic or VIP ticket ($25 and $50, respectively). You may also bid on the auction items by visiting the Facebook group, Break the Silence, on December 18. Typical auction items might include jewelry, a variety of gift certificates, products from Mary Kay, or wellness coaching consultations.
All the speakers for this event are donating their time and talents, with the desire to create change. Visit the website to see the lineup of speakers and register for the event.
Why does Kelly sponsor this event annually, and why should you participate? Kelly says, “I do this fundraiser in memory of my dad, Dick Sayre. He died by suicide on December 18, 1993. I want people to know that my dad was an amazing man. Most people don't understand depression unless they have it, too. It's not talked about, and the subject of suicide is even more taboo. Here at Break the Silence, we want to take away the shame, the stigma, the lies and falsehoods. We want you to know you can ask, you can talk, and you can find support here.”
Kelly supports the SPTF because she knows that the work they do is fundamental to saving the lives of countless people and supporting the recovery of those who have attempted or experienced a loved one’s suicide completion. Kelly feels she would have greatly benefited from an organization like this in 1993 when she lost her father, such help was not provided at that time. By supporting the SPTF, she wants to make sure such services and resources remain available going forward. By participating in this year’s Break the Silence auction and speaker event, you can help guarantee these ongoing services for those who desperately need them.
The Suicide Prevention Task Force is fully funded through the Tulare County Mental Health Services Act: Prevention and Early Intervention Plan. The SPTF combines representatives from government, education, community-based service providers, and community members. Training, activities, and education are provided throughout our community to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of suicide risk as well as prevention and early intervention best practices.
To learn more about Break the Silence, you can also visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/btsinhonorofdicksayre/?mibextid=6NoCDW.
For more information on the Suicide Prevention Task Force, check out their page at: https://www.facebook.com/HOPE.SPTF/ and their website at: https://sptf.org/english/.
#BreaktheSilence #MentalHealthAwareness #BreaktheStigma
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