Shatter the Silence, a suicide awareness  was hosted by Daphne United Methodist Church in the Community Life Center on September 11, 2018 to provide the community with suicide awareness and touched on topics such as mental health, spotting warning signs of suicidal thoughts, depression, and anxiety.

Community agencies were present with booths, some of the agencies where AltaPointe Health, American Foundation for Suicide, The Bridge, Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addictive Services, and the Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation. These agencies provide a spectrum of information and services to anyone who is has suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety and mental health.

Several schools had booths with information about suicide awareness. Daphne High School’s booth had info about suicide prevention and it’s Peer Helper Program. The Peer Helper program is sponsored by Mrs. Mixon the choir teacher. Peer Helpers are trained to recognize when their peers may have a problem. Maintaining student confidentially, they listen to and help students with emotional, social, or academic struggles. Students in need can go to a counselor and ask to speak with a Peer Helper.

Shatter the Silence made me realize that if I can’t handle the situation I have teachers to talk to and someone who I can really trust,” Jacelyn Roberts, a DMS Peer Helper, said.

Ms. Angela Gray, the Outreach Coordinator of Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services discussed suicide warning signs and when and where to get help.

“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” Angela Gray said

In a personal moment, Mrs. Frances Holk-Jones told how suicide affected her life when her daughter Jennifer Claire Moore died by suicide. Jennifer Claire Moore was 16 years of age when she took her own life in 1997. A year later the Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation was created. The Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation’s mission is to provide youth with the knowledge, resources and confidence to successfully navigate the pressures of day-to-day life issues and excel into adulthood.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, every 12 minutes a person takes their own life. The CDC also states that nearly 45,000 people died from suicide in 2016. Shatter the Silence provided information that could help save someone’s life and family. If you or a loved one is in a crisis our school has four counselors and a social worker there names and contacts are listed below along with that there are other resources.

“Don’t wait to get help; faculty, students and Peer Helpers are trained to recognize signs and get students to a safe place,” Madison Dombrowski said the Senior Counselor at DHS

School Resources:

Social Worker- Lindsey Lee ([email protected])
9th Grade Counselor- Zack McCraw ([email protected])
10th Grade Counselor- Margaret sharp ([email protected])
11th Grade Counselor- Chesley Darby ([email protected])
12th Grade Counselor- Madison Dombrowski ([email protected])
Peer Helper Director- Laura Mixon ([email protected])

Community Resources:

AltaPointe Health- altapointe.org
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention- https://afsp.org
The Bridge- https://bridgeinc.org
Jennifer Claire Moore-https://jennifermoorefoundation.com/
Pine Grove Behavioral and Addiction Services- http://www.pinegrovetreatment.com/