World Suicide Prevention Day 2024 Bench Dedication by Simcoe County Suicide Awareness Council

this is the uh Simco County suicide awareness Council World Suicide Prevention Day bench dedication ceremony up from Perry Sound it's about to begin we'll just uh allow you to view the beautiful view here we're doing some opening music uh the bench will be unveiled at the end of this were we'd like to start off with the land acknowledgement and uh I hope I pronounce all the the proper pronunciation we would like to acknowledge that we are located on the land that belongs to the Anish annc ajibu adawa and kadami peoples this is the territory of the wasak wasak sing and shanaga First Nations and is under the Robinson hon hon treaty perfect thank you you just bear with us obviously today is somewhat of an emotional day for all of us so just bear with us can everybody hear me just a thumbs up if you can okay cool all right um so hello and welcome uh thank you all for taking the time to attend this event today in beautiful Perry Sound um thank you to all the community residents and uh town of Perry Sound officials who have provided our Council a warm reception uh last year when we proposed to have our bench dedication here at this beautiful location I think this might be in my top three for our benches so far it's just beautiful so thank you all so much for coming um where are we uh from the bottom of all of our hearts uh we truly appreciate everyone coming together for this very meaningful event one that all of us on our Council hold very near and dear to our hearts and I'm sure for lots of you folks in the audience as well um the founder and the chair of our Council bernardet Ramsey Copeland is usually at the Helm of the micro phone for all of our uh social events I would say however she's unfortunately unable to attend but our Council would like to acknowledge and thank her for her steadfast commitment over the last two decades to promoting change to those affected by Suicide not only in Simco County but beyond she's a Trailblazer a true unsung hero and our council members are very grateful for all her dedication to generating a greater awareness and support within communities in Ontario so together we can change the conversation surrounding mental illness and suicide as we get started I would like to take the time to have all of our council members come up we actually have new fancy Dancy shirts this year so everyone in purple please come up just so everyone um can easily identify you in case anyone wants to chat with any of our members from our Council afterwards please know that uh that's we welcome that and uh we'll stick around after for any conversation so our Council the Simco County suicide awareness Council Works diligently to bring suicide awareness remembrance and support to communities in and around the greater Simco County area uh although we've been brought together by tragedy B yeah you're not getting away from us come on you got to be in the picture le yeah we're kind of a rogue Council like it's not all structured and yeah we cry a lot and mispronounce stuff but our hearts are in the right place um so we uh not only were brought together most of us by you know some sort of um a loss a suicide loss um but we provide support to one another and I think to communities that we do our bench dedications uh in um so I just want to personally say thank you to each and every single one of you because when I was at the lowest point in my life after losing my dad you welcomed me with open arms and provided me a safe place to share about my father's suicide without judgment and offered me a position on this Council so thank you very much uh and thank you for volunteering me to be the MC today that's it you guys you guys can go take your seats or stay with me yeah that's fine whatever I just wanted everyone to before before we had our nice snifty shirts people didn't know who our Council was so I just wanted to make that visual representation rocking it K thank you thank you thank you yeah I have four kids I'm sick and two of the kids are sick so we're just we're where're everyone's doing the best we can um so my name is Katie vicory and I'm a proud member of the SLE County suicide awareness Council and I have been for the last seven years since I lost my dad to Suicide uh I am here today as a daughter but I'm also a police officer I'm in my 15th year of policing and I work for the Ontario Provincial Police um and I'm also a mum to four beautiful sons uh both personally and professionally I experience the direct and indirect effects of suicide I have dedicated most of my career to mental health advocacy and raising awareness and education in an effort to reduce stigma and provide supports to not only those that are struggling but to folks that are supporting loved ones or friends or family that may be struggling if I'm being completely honest and transparent here today um I have recently taken time away from my workplace to seek treatment for my own issues including PTSD there was once a day not even a year ago where I wouldn't have been strong enough to stand before this large crowd and be so vulnerable out of fear of judgment that I would be viewed as weak ultimately affecting my career but here I am challenging those beliefs and using myself as an example of resiliency in the fight to decrease stigma and increase education and awareness surrounding mental health related issues which obviously as we know involve suicide good job Katie you're always such a good Advocate thank you so today We Gather here on September the 10th uh this has been designated world Suicide Prevention Day and the theme this year for 2024 is changing the narrative on suicide the aim is to raise awareness about the importance of changing the narrative surrounding suicide and transforming how people perceive this complex issue all of us Gathering here today is uh all of us Gathering here today are in a safe place where we can connect and engage in dialogue with compassion which we all believe promotes a better level of understanding changing the narrative requires mic change it's about shifting from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness understanding and support whether you are struggling or supporting a loved one who is struggling our Council wants you to know that you are not alone there is hope and as our motto says hope equals life for anyone in the crowd who has lost someone to that they love to Suicide please know that there is a survivors of suicide loss support group which has been running for roughly 30 years in the barry and area I've completed the program twice and although it's painful and heartbreaking uh to be connected with fellow survivors and share about my loss and hear about their loss I will forever be thankful for the connections that I've made one of our guest speakers here today Terry Lynn and I met the second time that I um did the group and our unique relationship has developed and grown over you know the last six years and I'm very very grateful for that we we have literature over here on our table um from our Council as well as some magnets and pamphlets and candles which I'll speak to later but um please help yourself um also I know you guys are all in the direct sun I did that on purpose there's water um here as well if anyone's thirsty um so today marks the ninth bench dedication for our Council and just to let you all know we've gifted various uh communities including Callingwood Bracebridge uh two in aelia one at the Lake and one at our op General headquarters out in front um also in agela tossano Barry and Rama First Nations just to name a few usually bernardet will uh mention in Her speech uh how far we've come as a society uh around shame and guilt associated with suicide uh she usually every year will recall how uh 40 years ago when her sister died by Suicide it wasn't spoken about and in fact it was hidden it was very shameful even the word suicide was once very um taboo and associated with guilt and shame uh if I'm being completely honest I can tell you that I've lost four men in my family to suicide and um I would say that it's been the last 15 years that our family is open about talking about it and acknowledging that you know um this this does happen and it happens to anybody and everybody so it doesn't discriminate um according to the government of Canada approximately 12 people die by Suicide each day so this equates to 4,500 deaths by suicide every year suicide rates are approximately three times higher among men compared to women and tragically suicide is the second leading cause of death among Youth and our young adults between 15 and 34 years of age I think we can all agree that these numbers are heartbreaking and obviously our council members have been directly affected by Suicide so it's our hopes that by coming forward and talking about suicide and remembering our loved ones and the great lives that they lived not just how they died uh will show support within communities and we can all help change the narrative which is as I mentioned this year's theme so we've reached the point today where we're going to have a few guest speakers come up and say a few words firstly I would like to invite Brandon charbo who's our local uh op Community safety and media relations officer thank you Brandon good let me get these words out quick before Jason pretty starts yelling again I only I only dig at Jason because I was doing a media interview on the Main Street in Perry count Wheel by with the ambulance yelling while we were like midt so thanks buddy appreciate that as always good afternoon everybody it's an absolute honor to be here along with sergeant Shelley vaner to represent the West Perry Sound op I want to thank the simpco county suicide awareness Council in the town of Perry Sound for unveiling this uh Memorial bench on world Suicide Prevention Day this bench is a beacon for anyone who's ever felt alone a safe space for reflection a gathering point for community and conversation it's a reminder that we're here for one another that no one must face their challenges alone it represents a collective uh promise to listen to support and to act with empathy as we dedicate this bench let's renew our common commitment to raise awareness break the stigma and Foster an open environment uh surrounding mental health and encouraging conversation and support thank [Applause] you thank you Brandon those were really touching words from the heart thank you we appreciate that uh next to address the crowd is Haley Redmond superintendent of the peris district paramedic service Services come on up here [Applause] [Music] hilly probably probably I'll also try and keep it short cuz Jason will yell at me as well um we all we know it he will thank you so much for having me I'm I'm honored to be here today it's a beautiful day to do this uh my name is Haley Redmond I'm a superintendent for Paris sound District paramedic service I'm here with my my co-workers today um I've been a paramedic for 16 years and I have been affected by Suicide uh so I should have gone first because now I'm going to repeat myself for some of the stuff but I know a few things about suicide firstly I know I have to switch glasses to be able to read what I know as we just heard that it's the number two cause of death in young people suicide has cancer beat all cancers for young people it it's it's got cancer beat the suicide rate is four times higher among our young indigenous people and higher again in our young lgbtq Community paramedics and other safety personnel are at much greater risk of su side than the general public uh and suicide is at the end of it's the end result of a painful illness um and sometimes we don't even see that illness sometimes the people closest to those who die by Suicide don't even see that illness uh the illness that leads to suicide is treatable so that makes suicide preventable am I not knew it was too low but here in Canada what we love is reactive medicine we love to wait until an illness reaches a certain point uh and then and then we treat it rather than try and prevent that illness uh we also love to treat an illness as an exclusive entity rather than treat a whole person and have a whole person centered approach uh in the world of healthare mental illness M mental illnesses are afforded less they're afforded less research less funding less advocacy less awareness and it's time to change that uh how can I tell you to end the stigma of mental injury and illness when that lead to suicide when our health care System doesn't demonstrate the same I don't have the answer I think people much smarter than me are working on that um but what I do know is until we adopt a practice of whole Community initiatives that involve the meaningful engagement of our young people there'll be little change until we collectively teach our children from a really young age to be whole person healthy including their mind there's going to be little change until we focus on maintaining a healthy mind instead of trying to fix a broken one it's going to be little change until we talk about suicide without whispering and using a hush voice until we speak up and just talk about it because it's right here there's going to be little change as a paramedic today holds uh a great deal of meaning for me I've lost colleagues and friends as well as patients many many many patients to suicide on the front lines and in my workplace I've seen the pain that leads people to believe that the only way out is to end their lives and I've seen so many families Shattered by that conversely I've also seen the other side I've also seen when that that light cracks through a little bit and people come and ask for help and that help leads them to stay here on the planet with us um even though it seems like the hottest choice that they've ever made uh so let's remind ourselves and each other that help is available that we're never alone that our struggles don't Define us that's not who we are uh it's okay not to be okay and it's okay to ask for help let's be there for one another not just today but every day suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem so let's look let's talk let's listen and let's be here for each other cuz every life matters thank you thank you so much really uh beautifully said beautifully said uh the next speaker right now will be um the president of our Ontario Provincial Police Association John teraso [Applause] I think that'll work okay uh thank you very much on behalf of the Ontario Provincial Police Association oh okay sorry and its members we thank you for the invitation to attend this bench dedication ceremony today thank you very much to the Simco County suicide awareness Council everyone and everyone who has put in the endless hours of work into making today's event possible um thank you for everyone attending today um for the speakers today and sharing but I'm especially proud of the work of three of our oppa members who are present here today uh to op provincial Constable Katie vicory thank you for making a difference for our community by sharing your story and leading this event today as Master of Ceremonies thank you to retired op provincial Constable detective Constable Sean Evans who has not only Built and donated this bench but a number of benches throughout the area honoring those who have died by Suicide and ensuring that their memories are with us forever once again thank you to retired op Communicator Lee matu for your tireless work and for providing the Beautiful music today thank you to the members of the Perry Sound op Detachment and our fellow First Responders who have come to support this event today your attendance here at this event is so important and very much appreciated far too long we have not acknowledged the memories of our loved ones who have died by Suicide since the op began collecting statistics since 1989 we've lost 49 members to this unfortunate through this unfortunate manner with events like these we have the opportunity to honor and remember them as a community I hope that many people will use this bench not only to remember the loved ones that we have lost but to reflect on how we can make a difference in the lives of those who are still here the bench acts as a reminder that we are not alone look after one another and keep up this incredible work thank you RC [Applause] mwit thank you so much John uh next we will have the mayor of Perry Sound Jamie McGarvey to come up and say a few words please [Applause] sir yeah thank thank you Katie um can you hear me okay I want to thank uh everyone that has come out today to to this event um on behalf of council and staff and myself um thank you for putting on this bench dedication it is extremely important when I look around the people that are here and see the support services and the families that all have to deal or had to deal with um suicide in their lives um it really touches one deeply uh a lot of people never know what goes on in a family and you know changing the narrative having that conversation is so important um I I can I can think of people in my life that have certainly we were for fortunate to have that conversation and work through it and come out the other side but there are many situations where that doesn't happen so to the Simco um suicide awareness group keep doing what you're doing it's extremely important to all those support services that are out here the op the paramedics uh Social Services um and the op thank you for what you're doing um I know that you walk into some situations sometimes that you have a lot to deal with and we command you for that so this bench um is here uh as a an awareness and certainly a tri tribute to those that have gone and uh hopefully those that it may may spark someone to have that conversation in the future and we can only hope that so that uh we do that I'd also like to commend Terry Lynn Stevens and and her group for what they're doing here locally Terry Lynn thank you um they it uh the more awareness that we can have the more conversations that we can have the better and um I would really want to thank everyone for being here today I would like to seen more people um you know we have those support services and that here but the general public sometimes needs to know a lot more about what goes on and um that would be appreciated as well but anyway it is what it is we are here and um I thank you very much and enjoy this day [Applause] thanks thank you mayor yeah to your point you know sometimes we get large crowds sometimes like today it's a smaller crowd but at the end of the day we just keep plugging along and doing what we're doing and you know Word of Mouth social media Print Media Radio we get the word out there right so I just again want to reiterate our gratitude to everyone for taking time out of all your busy schedules I know how busy you are thank you so much um so Terry Lynn and I met uh six years ago at the survivors of suicide group and and uh as the mayor said she's been doing marvelous work up here in uh Perry Sound area um to raise awareness regarding mental uh health and suicide and now she's going to speak and I couldn't be any more proud of you so the mic's all yours girl I'm short and Jason don't yell at me I'm done yeah all right can you hear me y yeah good afternoon and thank you all for coming to share in this beautiful bench dedication on world Suicide Prevention Day we're all here today because we all have been impacted some way somehow by Suicide for those of you who don't know me I'm Terry Lin Stevens and I'm here as a survivor of suicide loss and a mental health and wellness advocate here in Perry Sound as I Was preparing for today's event I was dra drawn to this year's theme changing the narrative on suicide shifting from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness understanding and support this theme really struck a chord with me let's take a minute and Define the word stigma stigma is defined as a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance quality or person wow let that sit with you for a minute stigma Still Remains one of the biggest barriers preventing people from seeking treatment or ending their Silence about their illness I realized that when I lost my husband Dr Rob Stevens to suicide in December of 2017 I was part of the culture of silence and stigma generation I was perpetuating the stigma and needed to change my narrative while we were waiting for the autopsy report to come back I remember clearly asking my therapist one very important question if the report comes back to say Rob died by Suicide what am I going to tell my kids she replied calmly and matter a factly with you were going to tell them the truth that was a very powerful piece of advice that has remained with me over the last seven years I remember that conversation as if it was yesterday and realized then that I now had an opportunity to help change the narrative and Landscape of the not so long ago taboo topic of suicide in memory of Rob fast forward to today we all each and every one of us here today have a role to in to play in changing the narrative on suicide and it can start today with just a few simple actions know the facts by educating yourself never assume challenge the myths and stereotypes take it one step further by educating others be aware of your own attitudes and behaviors treat everyone with dignity compassion and respect speak up use your voice to raise awareness about suicide and mental health start the conversation I encourage you to check in on a friend or loved one share personal stories and advocate for mental health resources and support in your community every conversation big or small contributes to a supportive and understanding Community by initiating these convers ations we will start to break down barriers raise awareness and create a supportive culture talking about mental health is not attention seeking people die in silence every day including my husband due to this judgment and then people finally say I wish they spoke up normalize talking about mental health and don't leave it until it's too late in closing and most importantly in a world where you can be anything be kind thank [Applause] you thank you terryin don't repeat what I whispered in your ear uh keep doing the good work you're doing up here girl uh it's not for nothing and I'm sure Rob is so proud of you beaming down on you um now we are so appreciative and thankful to have Shane tadong member of the Wasing First Nation to address the crowd here [Applause] today yeah good afternoon everyone um [Music] um my uh English name is Shane uh my uh original uh anomic name is Morning Star translated um it it uh it represents who I am and what my purpose is in life and uh a Morning Star is a Beacon of Hope um so it kind of aligns with the work I've done my whole life and the work of uh you know that that's being done here and bringing you all out today um I am uh just a to locate myself a bit I'm former Chief of Wasing First Nation I was a chief about 15 years ago um just at the beginning of my term I lost my brother to Suicide um and it kind of woke me up because um you know through our through our elders and teachers um I carry him with me much like Terry Lynn does with Doc Rob and much of us do um they left us with the um a responsibility to carry a message and uh that much like all the statistics we hear they're people and uh they they ask us to uh to share that message of of Hope and um of new beginnings and they've sacrificed of themselves and uh we understand that our creator is our creator God is the only one that can really take a life so when we that's how we understand and believe um when we lose someone because there's always that question why what could I have done differently um but there's a message that they leave us in a in a strong um movement that that it's great to be a part of um I now am the President of uh of um feather carriers life promotion it's an indigenous approach to changing the narrative and actually shifting our thinking a paradigm shift sometimes we talk about about promoting life understanding and we even we talk about suicide we know there's uh you know we have to break the stigma but we we also want to think of um those that when we we term it uh unnatural premature death so think about that that's what happens to a lot of our people they they pass by an unnatural premature death because what we're trying to share is that there's a beautiful life here this beautiful land creation is here for us to enjoy and um we need to share that message with everyone so um I'm here um at the request of John rice who's been very connected with uh the Simco group of uh suicide uh awareness uh Council Council and uh and um so I was honored to come um he he had to step away because he had a loss in his family and he had to attend to that but uh again I'm he's one of our founders of uh life promotion feather carriers it's online we we're a national corporate uh we're nationally Incorporated we we um are all corners of uh of of Canada to the far north to uh to the West Coast to the east coast and of course we kind of originated in Simco region and Wasing and kind of have have spread out from there but we uh we work with a lot of indigenous folks and non-indigenous allies that are really interested in learning our indigenous perspective on life promotion and how we view um you know that walk into that Western doorway as we call it um and how we honor that so I I just want to share that much about our purpose purp and my purpose and what I'm here for I'm also here to help uh with uh with the blessing of the the bench itself and uh I'll share more about that when that time comes Mig thank you so much Shane in just a few short minutes we will uh finally reveal the bench I just wanted to make mention to um my old partner here Sean Evans love you uh for the last four years he has um made this bench in his uh wood shop uh in Allison Ontario um Sean and I started off as co-workers but quickly became uh intertwined in our hearts and um really really talented Carpenter and has made this and donated it to our Council uh especially during covid when you know we didn't have any funds so we just wanted to you know extend our most uh sincere appreciation app ation to you and thank you these benches I'm sure will stand the test of time how you've made them and uh thank you so much for that Sean U I'm sure when you guys were walking up today uh you heard some um music playing it was Christina and Shawn here Christina's Shan's music teacher and they were Serena the crowd and I just wanted to say thank you to Christina as well and thank you for coming year after year uh to support our Council so thank you so before we um oh yeah come ahead come um I don't know if anyone noticed but when Shane was speaking there was actually a single turkey vulture that graced us with its presence and I looked it up and it says uh it's it's often associated with death death and transformation but also knowledge wisdom and resourcefulness and it reminds you to ride the currents of warmth in your own life wow that oh my God I'm so glad that was pretty beautiful yes that's so cool that's never happened before thank you for sharing that um so without further Ado we're going to get to the bench but uh in the meantime Lee matu here behind me Matthew um I just think it's cooler matu so uh lee was an OP dispatcher she never actually dispatched me but um she's a rock star and she's done so much work behind the scenes with the council and she's going to sing a song that she wrote I'll let her speak about the song but it's called hands of time so we're going to listen to that and then we will finally um unveil the bench if anyone wants to grab a water or anything feel free to come on up hot y I get a lot of variation it's okay oh no right here there yeah there's cold ones in the cooler pick the that are so as Katie mentioned uh I was a communication operator for op for 30 2 years uh currently I'm now uh dispatching part-time for Roya fire so I guess I just can't walk away completely but um the reason I wrote the song was in 2011 I lost my cousin uh two weeks before Christmas to suicide and then a week after New Year's my best friend lost her daughter to Suicide so with within uh a month I'd lost two people that just really touched me and I wrote the song for for my friend and my aunt just I was hoping that it would help them understand that we do understand the pain they're going to going through we do we're there for you we're there to support you and if I could do anything I would turn back the hands of time but I can't but uh anyway that's what the name of the song is hands of time [Music] a sunny [Music] day but I can't feel the Sun Flowers bright but I can't smell the blooms children [Music] play but I can't hear them laugh I'm so empty since I lost you if I could turn back the hands of [Music] time I'd wrap my arms around you I'd never let you go if I could turn back the hands of time I tell you that I love you more than you'll ever know but I can turn back the hand of [Music] time someday I [Music] pray that I will understand why you had to leave us that way signs I didn't see the guilt that's h in me my heart weighs so heavy with this pain if I could turn back the hands of [Music] time I'd WRA my arms around you I'd never let you go if I could turn back the hands of [Music] time I tell you that I love you more than you'll ever know but I can turn back the hands of [Music] time hold you just for one more day to see you smile and kiss your face but I know there's no way I could turn back the hands of [Music] time but I can't turn back the hands of time [Music] thank [Applause] you that was beautiful Lee thank you uh so without further Ado um if Shane if you wanted to uh bless the bench and uh what's that we unveil it okay so we'll unveil it then yeah sounds good yeah do you want to do the honors oh sure Bernard's not here so we're just kind of like going rogue today see if we get in trouble later um so we have Brandon and the mayor Terry ly yeah we can kind of move the crowd over towards that way you guys mind if I take a photo go ahead you want to come up to yeah sure we [Applause] are you usually the first one ask my friend new friend Barb that I met today me um I'm just gonna share some words of blessing um for this bench [Music] [Music] on this day I'll interpret those words so um from the East we have the New Hope of a new day the sun rises and we acknowledge that gift of hope that comes um to the South we have new life that that emerges and so we acknowledge the new light that also comes from that direction to the West we acknowledge our ancestors and that wisdom and knowledge that comes from those that are in that most beautiful place from heaven or ish froming as we call it and to the north we uh acknowledge our healing um I um acknowledge our mother the Earth for all this beautiful land that she she provides for us and she is the uh the teacher of unconditional love so she continues to give us life IR regardless of how you know humankind sometimes treats are um we acknowledge our Waters um you know the life blood that connects us all not only humankind but all of creation and we acknowledge um our uh our scal was as I call them our spirit helpers or some people call them Guardian Angels they're the ones that look out for us they sit on our shoulders they give us that intuition um so I acknowledge each and every one of those Spirit helpers that have brought us here today um we acknowledge um most humbly our creator who's put all this delicate balance of of life in the universe in play um and continues to maintain that so uh we most humbly acknowledge that um I offer this smudge um and this is one of our original medicines that kind of help us to understand things um we we we uh usually uh use this as a purification ceremony so that when people sit here they can find understanding and uh so we offer this uh this medicine and um I'll ask my helper Barb to maybe offer this to use after I offer it to this to this space to this place um she'll go around it's not offensive if you don't if you have an allergy and you can't you can just have ask to pass it on um but it is our way of uh kind of helping to uh bring about understanding and cleansing so that we can understand some of those tough things that we need to we healing so with that I see me G and I'll offer this [Applause] [Music] just little bar making way to the and I said did your dad tell you there's no pain she's so this home is written by Lee you this beautiful do I think about you often you know that I do did I think the pain would soften you know that I do do I still wish you were here you know that I do do I relive all your memories you know that I do do I miss your hugs and kisses you know that that I do do I still ask why you left you know that I do will I ever forget you you know that I won't and do I hope we'll meet again you know that I do until we meet again you know that I love you thank you Lee thank you Lee that is beautiful thank you Sarah so one more thing that we would just like to mention before we wrap things up here today is that the Canadian government uh has implemented a 988 crisis line um not sure if everyone's aware of that and if you are it's just repeat information and if you didn't know we just wanted to make people aware that anybody can now call or text or even there's an online chat function uh to be connected live um right away with a crisis um response worker um so they're trained uh in care and compassion and it's free and it's confidential um so and I just wanted to mention a thank you to Shane for the beautiful blessing of the bench and the the smudge thank you very much uh big thank you for all of you guys for attending our council's 9th Annual uh bench dedication here in beautiful Perry Sound um please help yourselves to candles that are over here on the table and uh in honor of today September 10th World Suicide Prevention Day uh we ask everyone to light the flameless candle tonight around 8:00 uh just for light and um hope and so that you can reflect on all the things that we've kind of talked about today and all the special words that our presenters spoke uh it's a visual sign of light and love and put it in the window leis say yeah okay um thank you everyone for coming again uh please continue to be kind to one another and look for opportunities to change the narrative on suicide from the SLE County suicide awareness Council thank you so much for coming thank you [Applause]