Community leaders seek to raise awareness that Suicide claims the life of nearly 50,000 annually.

(Exton, PA) – As National Suicide Prevention Week draws near, the YMCA of Greater Brandywine (YGBW) is teaming up with the Suicide Prevention Alliance to raise awareness and provide free education to the community.

On September 7 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM, the Lionville Community YMCA will host Govan A. Martin III, Executive Director and Founder of the Suicide Prevention Alliance. Martin will conduct a free training session for the community, teaching attendees about common causes of suicide, potential warning signs and how to get help to prevent deaths by suicide.

Community Gatekeepers Save Lives
“With more than 1 million attempted suicides each year, 48,000 deaths in the United States and almost 2,000 deaths from suicide just in Pennsylvania alone, the Suicide Prevention Alliance aims to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and provide education to prevent suicide,” shares Martin. “One of the ways that we do this is by training community members to become Gatekeepers, people who are trained to recognize the warning signs of suicide and know how to refer those in need to life-saving resources.”

According to the Suicide Prevention Alliance, thousands of Americans are trained to become Gatekeepers each year. Gatekeepers can be anyone from the community – friends, family members, first responders, community leaders and more.

YMCA as a Community Hub
“Every day we hear about the mental health crisis that our nation is facing,” comments Andrew Holets, Executive Director of the Lionville Community YMCA. “As a community hub dedicated to offering programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body, we are moved to educate ourselves and our community about steps that can be taken to prevent deaths by suicide.”

“We’re grateful for the important work of the Suicide Prevention Alliance and are proud to offer this free training to the community. We hope to see many members and guests join us on September 7 to learn about how to help – because we are all stronger when we work together.”

To learn about the Suicide Prevention Training on Sep 7: https://ymcagbw.org/events/question-persuade-refer-suicide-prevention-training 
To learn about the Suicide Prevention Alliance: https://www.suicidepreventionalliance.org/ 
To learn about the YMCA Mission: https://ymcagbw.org/about/cause