Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition (FSPC)

See below for Results of the successful Day at the Capitol (In Yellow)
 

If you would like your agency to have a display booth on Wednesday April 22, 2009 in the Capitol Plaza Rotunda please contact Marlene Jehs at mj6pelican@aol.com  as soon as possible. This year we were only given half the Rotunda so space will be limited.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
April 20, 2009 at 7:00 PM; Location TBA
Film Screening Followed By Panel Discussion (tentative)

April 21, 2009 at 3:00 PM; Capitol Building, Room 2103
Effective Advocacy for Suicide Prevention Training Workshop presented by Jason Padgett, SPAN USA (tentative) Please RSVP to Allyson.Adolphson@myflorida.com  if interested in attending.

April 21, 2009 at 6:30 PM, Lake Ella in Fred Drake City Park
Evening of Remembrance Candlelight Vigil

April 22, 2009 at 9:00 AM, Capitol Building Plaza Rotunda
Educational Display Booths and Legislative Advocacy

April 22, 2009 at 2:00 PM, Capitol Building Cabinet Room
Suicide Prevention Day Press Conference featuring:
Director Bill Janes, Florida Office of Drug Control
Secretary George Sheldon, Florida Department of Children & Families
Senator Evelyn Lynn, Florida District 7

April 23 – 24, 2009; from 8:00 PM – 5:00 PM; Location TBA
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) (tentative)
Don't forget to also visit our portable billboard that will be in front of the Historic Capitol all week!
Please take a moment to post these events on your agency websites and forward on to your colleagues. We hope to see everyone there!

Below are notes of the 2009 Day at the Capital and Evening of Remembrance. The press conference (video link is below) the speakers were government officials and talked about their personal losses to suicide.

April 21, 2009 at 7:00 PM was an Evening of Remembrance for survivors at Lake Ella in Fred Drake City Park.  Before the event, a table was set up for people to write messages on a display board and sign up to have loved ones names read during the candlelight vigil. Many people just stopped by to see what was going on. Many of these people had experienced a loss due to suicide. The event featured Erin McInnes,  featured speaker,  Dan Reidenberg, Bonnie
McClelland read a poem and Judy Bousquet Broward read names of loved ones lost to suicide after individuals lighted their candles. It was a beautiful and peaceful evening..

April 22, 2009 at 9:00 AM at the Capitol Building Plaza Rotunda officially began Suicide Prevention Day at the Capitol with Educational Display Booths and Legislative Advocacy.  Six students came from University of West Florida and Pensacola Junior College with Raela Villanueva (Florida’s Suicide Prevention Coalition Region 1 (Director) and south Florida was also represented by Rene Favreau our
Region 9 Director in Palm Beach County.  Lots of folks from a variety of places in between the panhandle and south Florida were also in attendance.  Event photos are available at http://www.helppromotehope.com/events/2009_SP_Day.php.  A number of displays including Unnoticed photo displays of artists who have died by suicide, DCF’s “No Wrong Door”, Suncoast Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program, Florida’s Suicide Prevention Coalition, USF’s Take Action poster highlighting Florida’s Suicide Prevention Strategy, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (Central Florida Chapter), University Behavioral Center, Florida Alcohol & Drug Abuse Association, and Big Bend 211.  Free Hugs were also available in the Rotunda all day to demonstrate that simple steps and early efforts at social connectedness don’t always have to wait for legislative funding.  A number of remembrance quilts of those we’ve lost to suicide were on display throughout the Rotunda during the day and also in the front of the room behind the speakers during the press conference.

Individuals visited legislative offices to encourage passage of a bill that would have added suicide prevention to a list of courses that public school teachers can take for certification.  This bill did not pass the House or Senate and should be a top priority for next year.

At 2:00 PM in the Capitol Building Cabinet Room the Suicide Prevention Day Press Conference was hosted (a video of the press conference is available at http://www.helppromotehope.com/events/2009_SP_Day/Press_conference.wmv ) featuring:
Director Bill Janes, Florida Office of Drug Control
Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp
Secretary George Sheldon, Florida Department of Children & Families
Senator Evelyn Lynn, Florida District 7
Senator Ted Deutch, Florida District 30
Representative Juan Zapata, Florida District 119
Erin MacInnes, Director Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention.

A number of speakers shared personal stories of experience with suicide and the loss of loved ones and friends.  For example Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp shared the recent loss of one of his best friend’s son;
Secretary George Sheldon, Florida Department of Children & Families
shared the personal loss just last year of his brother; and Senator Lynn shared a number of her stories of loss.

Another of the highlights of the press conference occurred towards the end.  Director Bill Janes officially presented the 2009 Sandy Martin Grassroots Award (from Suicide Prevention Action Network or SPAN) to Bonnie McClelland.  The national award recognizes Bonnie for her “grassroots” efforts to raise awareness, provide education, and engage in advocacy
in suicide prevention.  Congratulations Bonnie!  Special kudos to Allyson Adolphson and Erin McInnes from the statewide office and Marlene Jehs and Bonnie McClelland,  for all their organizational wizardry on a successful awareness raising event.

Thank you Steve Roggenbaum for writing these notes