SPHL Mississippi RiverKings

RiverKings to Spotlight National Wild Turkey Federation & American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Published on January 9, 2012 under SPHL (SPHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


SOUTHAVEN-On Jan. 28, RiverKings hockey will feature two very different causes during the team's game against the Fayetteville FireAntz: the players will showcase and promote the conservation efforts of the National Wild Turkey Federation by wearing a turkey-hunting themed jersey that will be auctioned live following the game; and on the concourse, the team will assist the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) by distributing information and making a check presentation for AFSP's recent ticket fundraiser through Maddox Foundation and the RiverKings.

AFSP is dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide.

"We became involved with AFSP after the loss of our 23 year old son, Tyler, to suicide in 2003 after many years of battling depression," Memphis-area AFSP chapter founder Pam Dickson said. "As survivors of suicide loss, we struggled to find help with our disorientation and grief. We met many people whose lives had been impacted by the loss of a loved one to suicide, but we did not find a program or network of survivors of suicide loss that were working to help each other-people who had been through what we were going through and could relate to the depth of our hurt and loss."

Dickson, husband Tom, and Memphis-area AFSP chapter co-founder Lisa Morris started by recruiting volunteers, planning, promoting, and hosting local Out of the Darkness Community Walks to publicize and raise money for AFSP efforts.

"Our involvement with the Out of the Darkness Community Walk was an effort to become involved in an event that would create funds for AFSP," Dickson said. "However, the more we became involved, the more we realized the value of the AFSP organization -- especially the Survivor of Suicide Grief Support Groups -- to the many survivors of suicide loss in our community. We soon realized that we needed to do more all year round, such as suicide awareness, education programs and materials, volunteer recruitment and involvement, and Survivor of Suicide Grief Support Groups."

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention organization and chapter structure provided a framework and National leadership to help people in our area dealing with the loss of a loved one by suicide, and gave them a more visible presence in the community to make others aware of recognizing and treating mental illness that is commonly associated with suicide.

"When people lose a loved one to suicide, it has an element of grief unique to suicide loss," Dickson said. "It leaves an aftermath of devastation in the lives of survivors. Through AFSP, we have been able to have training to facilitate peer-led support groups. These groups are crucial to many survivors, giving them a safe environment to share their stories and heartache and realize they are not alone. It is very therapeutic and helpful for survivors to tell their stories and meet others who have experienced loss by suicide. We learn from each other and we draw strength from each other."

In the past seven years, the annual Out of the Darkness Community Walks have generated over $100,000 in support through walker donations, sponsorships, and in-kind donations. Fifty percent of the money raised from the walks goes to AFSP National to help fund scientific research and education for suicide prevention, promote public policies and legislation that impact suicide and prevention, and develop programs and resources for survivors of suicide loss; and half the funds are dedicated to implementing local programs and resources for survivors of suicide loss, including training, resources, guidance, and encouragement from AFSP National.

"AFSP Memphis-area planned and hosted a two-day AFSP Survivor Support Group Facilitator Training conference for 24 attendees from around the nation and 2 trainers from the AFSP National headquarters," Dickson said. "Six of our chapter members are trained facilitators that monthly conduct four Survivor of Suicide Grief Support Groups-one in Southaven, one in east Memphis, and two in Cordova."

Local AFSP organizers annually plan, promote, and host local participation in AFSP's International Survivors of Suicide Day Conference to connect with others who have survived the tragedy of suicide loss for mutual support and practical guidance on coping with grief.

Chapter members have been able to provide resources to local school counselors and provide presentations at teacher in-service. The Memphis-area chapter has a Mississippi Field Advocate and a Tennessee Field Advocate actively reaching out to federal and state legislators and their staff to advance the cause of suicide prevention and the availability of quality mental health services.

The Chapter helps provide suicide prevention resources to those contemplating suicide or to those who know someone they believe might be thinking about taking their own life.

The Survivors Support Grief Groups provide help to the survivors of suicide loss, helping them to grieve in a healthy manner and move forward in putting their lives back together with the support and encouragement of other survivors of suicide loss. The chapter works to help educate the community about suicide and help remove the stigma of mental illness, "so people will be encouraged to seek and receive help to deal with their challenges in a healthy manner," Dickson said.

AFSP Memphis Chapter also works with and supports The Crisis Center run by Mike LaBonte and the local chapter of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network headed up by Madge and Ken Tullis.

To find out more about the Memphis/Mid-South Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention or to get involved, people can go to the AFSP website at www.afsp.org, click on the tab "Chapters" and follow the link and map to our Memphis Chapter.

The Mississippi RiverKings are supported by their community partners, season ticket holders, fans, and by program-related investments of the Maddox Foundation, an independent private foundation based in Hernando, Miss. To find out more about the RiverKings, call 662.342.1755 or visit www.riverkings.com.

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