Empowering communities to prevent suicide and offering hope and healing to survivors.
Please Welcome Our New Executive Director Brian Dilworth
The Board of Directors of Kevin’s Song is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Dilworth to the position of Executive Director. We look forward to working with Brian as Kevin’s Song continues to “empower communities to prevent suicide and to offer hope and healing to survivors.” Brian brings a great deal of experience in the nonprofit world and has the skills, knowledge and compassion to enhance the work of Kevin’s Song going forward. Please help us welcome Brian Dilworth!
In Brian’s Words
It’s a new day! Sitting down to write this article for the Kevin’s Song newsletter as its first Executive Director – I am smiling. I have spent the last several years as a consultant, serving a myriad of nonprofit organizations. Honorable work, serving amazing missions. But today, is different.
I have found a home. The mission of Kevin’s Song is to empower communities to prevent suicide and offer hope and healing to survivors. Having lost a brother to suicide when I was 21, I only wish that I had been aware of the resources that were available to me, my family – and beforehand, my brother. But now, I am bestowed with the opportunity of shining a light on these resources, strengthening the coalition of the plethora of organizations committed to education and service, and bringing the power of the information to everyone in our community who needs it.
Every day, the team of Kevin’s Song will strive to bring hope, care and direction to a community that perhaps may struggle at times – but more often than not, can be helped. We ask that you join our team, walk with us, beside us. Join by volunteering, philanthropy, or participation in our events. We can’t do this alone, nor do we want to. We need help, just like the individuals we are passionate about serving.
I am smiling because I know that Kevin’s Song is already making an impact. Our board of director’s, advisors, and partners make up a team that is ready to defeat the most aggressive of opponents. Yet, we will win. Together. I am blessed to be part of this organization and even more so to be part of its leadership. I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming months. I have a lot to learn and an unmatched desire to win. These victories won’t be mine – they will be for the countless individuals out there, who we stand by, and stand for. It’s a new day, and we will face it together.
Brian Dilworth
Executive Director
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STARRY, STARRY NIGHT SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE!
TICKET SALES FOR STARRY, STARRY NIGHT BEGIN AUGUST 1, 2022
$175 per person / $1750 for a table of 10 / Sponsorships Available
AUCTION ITEM DONATION
If you would like to contribute to the success of this event by donating an auction item please click here for the Auction Item Donation Form.
For Event Information, Please Email SSNFundraiser@kevinssong.org
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All of the Conference Videos from 2022 and 2021 Are Now Available
The 6th annual Conference on Suicide: Equity and Equality in Suicide Prevention – Expanding the Conversation and Offering Solutions was a HUGE SUCCESS!!
Here are a few of the many positive comments that attendees shared about the Conference:
“As a clinical social worker who works with those suffering with chronic mental and physical health conditions, I feel the need/desire to listen more deeply as I assess for depression and anxiety; and to consider the external factors involved with an individual’s life experience. I will also consider more active collaboration with the individual’s support system and larger community as part of my treatment intervention.”
“I enjoyed the entire conference….all three days. Great speakers, important topics. DPTV did a great job handling the technical aspects of the conference. Overall coordination was excellent.”
“I sincerely believe that this was the best event thus far. My team and I learned a great deal. Before the end of the conference I was emailing our director about changes that we need to make starting today. I am so appreciative of the event.”
“I had not previously attended a virtual conference but was impressed with the ease and organization of the online platform. As always, Kevin’s Song provided an abundance of information on a variety of topics.”
“Honestly, so well put together, smart and inspiring. I loved the mix of personal stories, research, the focus on equity and the practical break outs on what others are doing.”
Attendees of the School Summit also enjoyed the information and resources shared for educators and those working with youth:
“This is my 2nd year attending the School Summit, and it was fabulous! I loved the variety of speakers and the pacing of the conference with several breaks.”
“I enjoyed the wide-array of topics discussed, the diversity of presenters, and the diversity of their teaching methods during the conference. The organization from conference leadership was very good. The scheduling, breaks, and pacing allowed me to remain engaged as a participant.”
“This was an excellent professional development and there was so much information that we are able to bring back to our teachers and staff.”
Many thanks to the attendees, our sponsors and supporters and the many organizations that partnered with Kevin’s Song to make this conference accessible and successful.
Attendees now have access to the session recordings.
Some photos from the event:
2022 Saving A Life Award Honorees
Recipients exemplify outstanding service to the community in Suicide Prevention. Past recipients have been individuals who have made a significant difference in the lives of citizens in crisis.
Barb Smith – Founder and Executive Director, Barb Smith Suicide Resource & Response Network
Barb Smith’s passion for suicide prevention began in the aftermath of the loss of her brother John to suicide . Barb’s one-woman campaign to bring solace to other survivors has grown into the Barb Smith Suicide Resource & Response Network . Barb is being honored for the positive impact she has had on countless lives across the state and beyond, through education, intervention, and shared expertise.
Will Heininger, BA – Outreach Coordinator, Eisenberg Family Depression Center
After Will Heininger experienced a mental health crisis as a defensive lineman for the University of Michigan, he became a passionate advocate for the mental health of student athletes and other young people across the country . Will is being honored for opening new doors in the suicide prevention world, for participating in Kevin’s Song’s conferences and films, and for his work with the Eisenberg Family Depression Center .
Additional Information
Please Listen… Students Talk About Mental Health and Suicide Awareness
Rates of suicide continue to rise across the demographic spectrum and certainly among school-age youth. For years, suicide and mental health issues were subjects to be avoided, hidden behind a veil of stigma or fear. Now, hopefully we know differently. But in our conversations, are we really hearing what students have to say about anxiety, depression, mental health or the pain their friends and peers are feeling. What do they want from teachers, parents and the others in their lives?
As part of the national Well Beings Tour, Detroit Public TV is teaming with Kevin’s Song and other local organizations to create a virtual conversation addressing their vital, often life-saving issues. We will listen to a diverse group of students who will talk about their lives, their feelings and their concerns. And we will respond.
Book of The Month
Guns and Suicide: An American Epidemic by Michael D. Anestis
The majority of gun deaths in the United States are suicide deaths, and the majority of suicide deaths are gun deaths. Most people are unaware that suicide, at nearly 43,000 deaths per year, is more common than homicide and other widely publicized tragedies. And yet, suicide is typically absent from discussions of gun violence. As such, the national conversation on gun violence is inadequate and unrelated to the majority of gun deaths in this country.
In Guns and Suicide, Michael Anestis reframes our perspective on gun violence by shifting the focus to suicide. Guns play a uniquely profound role in American suicide, and Anestis explains how they have this effect-not by making otherwise non-suicidal people want to die, but by facilitating suicide attempts among suicidal individuals. He reviews the evidence – in suicide and other public health concerns – that focusing on specific means for contracting an unwanted outcome (e.g., HIV) can successfully reduce the frequency of that outcome. With suicide, this could mean the passage of legislation related to firearm ownership and storage, non-legislative encouragement of safe storage of private firearms, voluntary and temporary removal of firearms from the home during times of distress, or a combination of these factors. Importantly, this is not a book about gun control. Anestis does not argue in favor of tighter restrictions on ownership, assault weapon bans, or longer waiting periods for purchase because these will not substantially reduce the staggering gun suicide rate. Rather, Anestis aims for a cultural shift towards suicide-specific safe gun ownership and puts forth unemotional suggestions in hopes of leveraging common ground in the pursuit of a lower suicide rate.
Dr. Brian Ahmedani and Nancy Buyle, Co-Chairs of the Michigan Suicide Prevention Commission and members of the With One Voice Advisory Board updated Kevin’s Song Conference attendees on the Commission’s progress to date, including focus group findings, the timetable for presenting recommendations to the full Commission in March, and work to date by the four sub-committees: Policy… Data… Special Populations… and the Work Force.
If you’d like to follow the work of the Commission, it meets on the third Friday of every month at 10:30 AM. Or, you can contact James Bell at bellj10@michigan.gov.
Watch the March 24, 2021 virtual meeting:
Resources for Ideas and Inspiration:
Kevin's Song Newsletters
Our Newsletter is published and emailed monthly to our growing list of sponsors, supporters and friends. If you’d like to be added to our email list, contact gail@kevinssong.org. If we hope to achieve our vision of “a world without suicide” we need you with us.
“We Need to Talk” is a 30-minute film produced by Kevin’s Song and funded by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Klingler Family Foundation. The film documents effective suicide prevention initiatives being used in schools and communities. Profiled in this video are the Prepare-U curriculum at West Bloomfield High School, The U-Matter teen program developed by Rabbi Yarden Blumstein for Friendship Circle, the University of Michigan’s Peer-To-Peer school outreach program and The SHED, an after-school facility for youth recently opened by Dennis Liegghio, founder of Know Resolve.
View Video“Saving Lives, Preventing Youth Suicide”
Conceived by Kevin’s Song and sponsored by the Children’s Foundation, this 3-part series was produced in partnership with Detroit Public Television. Hosted by prominent Michigan journalist, Cynthia Canty each 60-minute program includes interviews with mental health professionals, educators and community leaders and covers topics ranging from the impact of social media on youth to building resilience to successful intervention strategies.
View ProgramsVideos
“Singing Kevin’s Song” Interviews with a high school counsellor, a former collegiate athlete, a researcher, and the parents of a high school student lost to suicide reveal their personal and painful insights into dealing with the suicide epidemic. Produced by James McGovern. (28 minutes)
“Death is Not the Answer”. Award winning producer-director Keith Famie tackles the tough issues of understanding depression and mental illness. (58 minutes).
“The S Word”. The stigma that so often prevents honest discussion, and often times death, is the subject of this compelling documentary by Lisa Klein. (98 minutes)
Podcasts
“Life After Suicide”- Dr. Jennifer Ashton. Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News’ Chief Medical Correspondent, draws from her own tragic experience to explore the aftermath of suicide and sudden loss, and, like her new book “Life After Suicide,” the podcast offers a six-part roadmap for survivors.
