My charity, Survivors, and a way to donate just by shopping Amazon!

It's about time I blog a bit about my charity of choice, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I have lost a few good people to suicide, and I dealt with some scary close calls all through high school. Honestly, I'm just now learning about this foundation, but I love their mission as far as I have seen. They are here for us "survivors", and for those struggling with their own lives...and for the memory of those lives that have been cut short.

The 10th annual National Survivors of Suicide Day is taking place this Saturday all across the globe.
Survivors of suicide? I cocked my head to the side and looked puzzled the first time I heard that term. But I suppose it makes sense. "Survivors of Suicide" are the people that are left behind...the people that have had to experience the nightmarish loss of a loved one to suicide.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) website says that the day is for "reaching out to thousands of people who have lost a loved one to suicide."
So on Saturday...reach out!

There are events taking place on Saturday - local meetings, breakout groups, and conferences - as well as an hour and a half broadcast connecting the local groups (and you can tune in on your own computer). Most of these events are for the survivors - but all are welcome to attend as a set of open arms. The broadcasts bring in mental health experts, resources for healing, Q&A sessions, and a source of emotional support.

After losing loved ones, and being friends with so many people who have lost loved ones to suicide, I have found group discussions like this to be very difficult, but overall extremely helpful. And that was a giant run on sentence.

If you want more info on the Survivors of Suicide Day, and events (and see if anything is going on in your area), click here.

On a slightly less serious note - the holiday season is upon us! I have already finished almost all of my shopping :) Need to get some books or CDs or anything Amazon-ish? Click here to do your Christmas shopping on Amazon.com, and donate 8.5% of your purchase to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. You can help fund events like the Survivors of Suicide Day conferences just by doing your regular shopping :)