CONTACT:
Dr. Dan Reidenberg, PSY.D., FAPA
SAVE - Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
952-946-7998
dreidenberg@save.org
www.save.org
Suicide Awareness community events feature Suicide Attempt Survivor; discussion of economy’s impact
Nationally recognized speaker Kevin Hines shares his personal story of survival and Dr. Dan Reidenberg discusses suicide and the economy at public events.
(Minneapolis – October 23, 2008) – Kevin Hines, who survived a suicide attempt off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA. and was featured in the critically acclaimed documentary “The Bridge,” will appear at two suicide awareness presentations on October 28 at the Bloomington Civic Plaza/Schneider Theater and on October 29 at Maple Grove Junior High School. Both events start at 6:30 p.m., are free and open to the public.
Hines will be joined by Dr. Dan Reidenberg, executive director of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), who is recognized as an expert in the field of suicide prevention and will discuss issues surrounding recent headlines of suicide and depression in the current economic downturn.
Presented by (SAVE), a national, nonprofit organization based in Minnesota, the events offer parents and families throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul the chance to learn more about the warning signs of suicide and depression and to discover the prevention resources that are available to them.
In 2000, during his freshman year of college, Hines attempted to take his life by jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge. He is one of only 29 people to have survived that jump. Kevin has since learned to deal with mental illness in a healthy way, and through speaking out, is providing a positive example to hundreds of thousands of young people and their families dealing with all types of mental health issues.
During the past several years Hines has spoken to over 150,000 people about his experiences and reached millions in media interviews. He has also appeared in People, Time, and Newsweek magazines and shared his story on Larry King Live, Prime Time, Anderson Cooper 360, 20/20, and many other national news programs. Hines has been an ardent advocate for placement of suicide barriers on the Golden Gate Bridge, a plan recently approved by the Bridge’s governing body.
The Bloomington and Maple Grove presentations are a part of a week-long series of appearances by Hines and Reidenberg, which include several visits to area public schools culminating with Soup It Up, a fundraising event benefiting area youth on Thursday, October 30 at Midland Hills Country Club in Roseville. The purpose of the events is to educate students and families to the dangers of suicide, a public health crisis that is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. and the 3rd leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds, with one suicide occurring on average every 16 minutes.
SAVE is committed to the education of the general public about brain diseases (such as clinical depression and bipolar illness) that can result in suicide if left untreated. By educating the general public about such brain diseases, SAVE strives to remove the stigma associated with these diseases. SAVE’s prevention and education programs include a school-based program educating staff, parents and students, community and professional presentation through a volunteer speaker’s bureau, professional conference presentations and exhibitions, educational materials distributed internationally, national multi-media public service advertising campaign and community action kits.
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For more information on the community events go to www.save.org.
To schedule an interview with Kevin Hines or Dr. Dan Reidenberg, contact Tom Brock, director of marketing and communications, at 952-946-7998 ext. 15 or tbrock@save.org.
For more information on SAVE, go to www.save.org or call 952-946-7998.
For more information on Soup it Up, go to www.soupitup.org