REGISTRATION STILL OPEN for Friday FAITH LEADER TRAINING and Saturday  SURVIVOR PROGRAM

Thursday and Friday Conference Programs are at capacity.  Questions? Contact Leo@kevinssong.org

 

Please check out our conference page for more details about the event, to become a sponsor or to secure a table in the Resource Gallery.  Also, we have a NEW VIDEO this year to showcase the importance of this annual event and its history.

2025 Annual Conference on Suicide


 

Thank you for helping make Starry, Starry Night a Great Success!


Gail Urso, Cofounder of Kevin’s Song, named The American Association of Suicidology 2023 Loss Survivor Award Recipient

The American Association of Suicidology (AAS), the world’s largest membership-based suicide prevention organization, has announced that Gail Urso, Cofounder of Kevin’s Song, is the recipient of the 2023 Loss Survivor Award. The award was presented in April at the 56th Annual AAS Conference in Portland, Oregon.

“We received more than sixty submissions from across the world for 2023 Annual Awards and we could not be prouder of this year’s winners,” said AAS President & CEO Leeann Sherman, MPS, CAE. “Due to her extraordinary commitment to supporting other families, Gail stands out among the many courageous and generous loss survivors active in our community. We are happy to present her with this prestigious award.”

The Loss Survivor Award has been given since 1995 to acknowledge ways in which survivors of suicide transform the trauma of their loss into suicide prevention efforts and/or survivor support.

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Our new 2024 Ambassador Video

 

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

 

Not Another Lasagna – How to Truly Help a Grieving Friend

By Gwen Kapcia & Bethany France

 

Your grieving friends need support. We often rush to their side, initially, with a pan of lasagna or the words, “let me know if you need anything.” The reality is, they probably won’t let you know and they can’t bear to look at another pasta dish.

Bethany and Gwen give you practical tips on: what to say in awkward conversations, equip you to help & not hide from your grieving friend, and serve them in the best way you can, using your gifts and talents, for as long as they need support (longer than most people think!).

Grieving people do not say they want support from someone with many degrees, or who talks in clinical or theological terminology. They are helped by those who have qualities that lie within a servant’s heart: respect, warmth, genuineness, trust, patience, hope and humor. You, as you are, can truly help your grieving friend …with this book as your guide.

Bethany lives in West Michigan with her two kids, one sneaky/naughty cat (Leo), one fat/cuddly cat (Lucy) and a rambunctious, but faithful lab named Scout. She loves her family, friends, church and predictable romantic comedy movies. Her “dad” jokes and love of puns and use of sweet sarcasm is an attempt to lighten the moods around her and make people smile. Bethany works full time in the field of Human Resources where she uses her education (MBA/SHRM-CP) and experience to resolve conflicts in the workplace but with grace and empathy at what employees might be going through. Bethany has a devotional story published within “And Then There was Light” – EA Publishing- and maintains a blog at bethanyfranceblog.com focused on Faith, Family, Friends and Giving Hope to the Grieving. You can also find her at Bethany France, Writer, on social media. Gwen Kapcia is a licensed social worker in the state of Michigan and holds a certification in Thanatology: the study of death, dying and bereavement. She has spent her entire career around grief and loss, spanning from hospice care, funeral home aftercare support, and Executive Director at a West Michigan grief support ministry. She is the Co-Author of Mourning Star, a Christ-centered Grief Curriculum for children, teens and adults. She is a wife, mother of 3 adult children, (recently promoted to grandmother!), and lives in Portland, Michigan. Gwen is the owner of Your Grief Guide. Through online classes, virtual checkpoints and educational presentations, she aims to normalize the reactions to loss, give practical guidance and provide hope for healing. She is a national speaker, conducting programs to healthcare, corporations, schools and churches. You can find her at Gwen@grief-guide.com, Facebook grief-guide and Instagram at: gwenkapcia, or website, grief-guide.com.

Order Book Now Library

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.

View current edition

 

View past editions

“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 Programs
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Videos


“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)

Click here to view

“Death is Not the Answer”. Award winning producer-director Keith Famie tackles the tough issues of understanding depression and mental illness. (58 minutes).

Click here to view

“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)

Click here to view

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.

Click here to view