Donate to Samaritans

Dear Friend,

Over the years, Samaritans has relied on the generosity of a caring community of individuals, foundations and corporations in order to strengthen our suicide prevention programs. We are very grateful for your consideration and hope that you choose to support Samaritans.

In the United States, 30,000 people are lost to suicide annually - it is the eleventh leading cause of death. Among young people ages 15 to 24, it is the 3rd leading cause of death both nationwide and in Massachusetts. 20% of Boston public high school students seriously contemplate suicide while 10% actually attempt it. The suicide rate among the elderly is 50% higher than that of all other age groups.

Samaritans is known for answering thousands of calls each year from individuals who are all alone in their despair and isolation, but there is much more that we do to prevent suicide. Our community education staff and volunteers reach out to the people who are at a higher risk for suicide – people like teenagers, the elderly, those in prison, and those who suffer from addictions. We also put tools in the hands of the teachers and case managers who work with high risk populations so that they will be more comfortable recognizing and responding to suicide risk when they see it. Finally, we work with survivors – those who have experienced a loss to suicide – providing support to individuals and communities as they cope with tragedy.

In the coming months, you may be hearing more about Samaritans. We are working tirelessly to increase community discussion about suicide and to engage more people in our suicide prevention work. There are so many people who need our help, but who cannot get through on our phone lines, or who do not know about the services that we offer. By expanding the numbers of people who know about and are involved with Samaritans, we plan to improve our ability to reach people at risk and reduce suicide.

Please help us help others. We hope that you will consider making contribution at this time. Your gift helps us to recruit and train volunteers to work our helplines. It helps us build relationships with more schools and social service agencies that can benefit from our suicide prevention curriculum. It helps us respond to the devastation that a suicide leaves in families and communities. It helps us to save lives.

Please also feel free to contact our Development Director, Beth Schultz if you have any questions, or call 617-536-2460.

Thank you!

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