On May 18th, we hosted our 2nd Hike for Hope on Long Island, this time with a focus on the construction industry. According to the CDC, the construction industry has one of the highest rates of suicide, which is why AFSP has focused it's efforts in raising awareness within this community. Over 100 hikers joined us from across Long Island, many from the construction industry, and together we raised over $30,000 for suicide prevention! In addition to the Construction Hike for Hope, AFSP is committed to help lower the suicide rate in the construction industry year round. Through our partnership with Bechtel Corporation, AFSP is developing new programming and critical resources for construction workers to help save lives within the industry. Fundraising efforts for the Construction Hike for Hope are ongoing through the end of June and your donation can make a difference right here on Long Island! Click the button below to make a donation to this year's Hike for Hope! Interesting in brining educational programming to your construction company? Fill out our programs request form linked below in the newsletter!

Following the Construction Hike for Hope, we unveiled the very first Wind Phone to be placed in a Long Island State Park. Inspired by the original Wind Phone in Otsuchi, Japan — a humble telephone booth created to help cope with loss after the 2011 tsunami — this Long Island installation invites people to express feelings left unsaid, offering comfort in moments of grief.  

 

The Wind Phone will be maintained by AFSP LI volunteers with hope that those who visit it fine solace and it helps in the healing process after a loss. Thank you to volunteer Dennis Duca and Board Chair Phil Bianco who researched the idea and worked diligently to make it happen. We believe that this is a concept that people will deeply connect with, touching on mental health, community, hope, and the power of creative memorial spaces.

 

You can visit this Wind Phone at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park, on the south side of the East Creek Bridge in Field 3. To learn more about the origin of the Wind Phone, click here. 

The Office of Mental Health's Suicide Prevention Center of New York is hosting a no-cost ASIST training on Long Island on July 21st and 22nd. ASIST is a two-day intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize and review risk and intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. It is by far the most widely used, acclaimed, and researched suicide intervention training workshop in the world. ASIST prepares caregivers of all kinds to provide suicide first aid interventions. While this is a free training, registration is required. Please click the button below for more information and to register. Please note that this training is provided by NYS OMH, not AFSP. 

Click on each event image to learn more/register for event!

Planning a fundraiser for your team and want it highlighted in our newsletter, social media, or posted on our upcoming events calendar? Let us know! Reach out to Katie, our Programs Manager, with more info about your event at kmercer@afsp.org