2023 Conference

THANK YOU for making the 2023 Kevin’s Song Conference on Suicide a success!

In spite of the wintry weather, over 300 people from across Michigan and the nation gathered in Plymouth, Michigan with Kevin’s Song, for an in-person conference to combat suicide. Mental health professionals, educators, first responders, government representatives, suicide prevention advocates and survivors met to discuss innovative ways to identify those at risk, to better treat and help those struggling and to provide hope and support for survivors.

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Kevin’s Song’s three-day 7th Annual Conference on Suicide and School Summit: Building Roads to a Better Tomorrow, held at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan, took place January 26-28.

It is difficult to express the gratitude we feel for the spectacular event that the conference was. Approximately 450 people attended in person and over 1900 people viewed the session that was live-streamed by Detroit Public Television on Saturday, Survivor Day.

We want to express our sincerest thanks to Leo Nouhan, who once again did an outstanding job of coordinating the conference, to the Conference Planning Committee and the School Summit Committee who worked all year to put together this amazingly impactful three-day event, to the professional speakers who came from far and wide to participate, to our many volunteers, and, of course, to all who attended.

Thank vou to our Board of Directors for their passion and commitment to our mission and to the conference.

Thank vou to all who financially supported the conference through conference sponsorships and donations, as well as sponsorships and support for Starry, Starry Night 2022!

John McTaggart did another excellent job of capturing people and moments with over 200 wonderful photos. They have been shared on the Kevin’s Song’s Facebook page and are posted on our website. In addition, many of the attendees have posted their own photos of the conference on social media platforms.

Josh Jackman from MarxLayne did a great job of posting throughout the conference on all of our social media platforms.

We know that many of you who were not able to be with us followed his posts. MarxLayne hosted the Thursday evening reception, and they were all there to enjoy the evening with us. Thank you to them for their great work in helping us bring the conference and school summit to so many people.

Detroit Public Television did another great job as well. Rich Homberg was there to support his team and all of us! All of the keynote speeches were videotaped and will be available to view on our website.

Saint John’s Resort was once again an ideal venue for us. Attendees frequently commented on how perfect it is. The food and the service were outstanding. Fortunately, the facility is being expanded so should continue to meet our needs for years to come.

It’s difficult to convey all of the positive comments received verbally from the attendees. Hopefully, they will be repeated in written comments. Here are two comments. The first is from an attendee: “It was a beautiful conference. Impactful, challenging, and thought provoking.” And from a keynote speaker: “Connecting with colleagues and other mental health experts are among the joys of attending the Kevin’s Song 7th Annual Conference on Suicide.”

Thank you for your support, commitment to Kevin’s Song, passion for our mission and help in so many ways.

We are making a difference!

With gratitude,

Gail and John Urso
Cofounders, Kevin’s Song

Click here to view all photos from the event