Never Alone

Life can be hard. We all get sad. People hurt. If it’s something that affects us all, why is it still so difficult to talk about mental health? Why are we still shy to ask for help? In this über-connected world, how could we ever feel alone?

September is National Suicide Prevention Month and our goal is to start a conversation on this difficult topic. The more we open up, the more we learn.

- In 2018, there were an estimated 1,400,000 suicide attempts.
- On average, there are 132 suicides per day.
- Men die by suicide 3.56x more often than women.
- Firearms accounted for 50.57% of all suicide deaths.
- Suicide has grown almost 50% since 2010 for people ages 14-24
- In 2017, 7.4% of Students (grades 9-12) have made at least one suicide attempt
- Black students were at highest risk

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BUY A PAIR, WE DONATE $2

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BUY A PAIR, WE DONATE $2

The idea came about after one remarkable 17yo kid took his own life. Page had a great family, friends, and community. He had hundreds of people that would have been there for him, but he still didn’t reach out before it was too late.

Every day of high school, despite frigid and wet Oregon winters, Page wore shorts, Vans, and crew socks. These NEVER ALONE socks were created in his memory and serve as a small reminder for us all that help is right around the corner. If things ever get really bad, you can call the numbers on the toes.

Doug Petersen is Page’s dad and he’s cycling over 1800 miles this September along the Pacific Coast Highway… from the Canadian border, to the Mexican. It’s been over 5 years since Page died, but how does a father ever move on from this? Doug uses a military phrase, “I lost one on my watch,” to describe the daily feeling of guilt, “but now I’m going to save one,” he ensures.
 
We teamed up with Doug to help raise awareness, and now we’re in it with him. Granted, we don’t have to get on a bike, but we will do whatever we can to help start the conversation about mental health and suicide. If we save just one, it’s absolutely worth it.

And if you see the van “The Silver Fox”, come sign it!
To help us start the conversation, combine resources, and bring valuable expertise, we partnered up with the AFSP. Established in 1987, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death.
 
We’re happy to have such a great org on our team this September.
To read more about the great work the AFSP is doing or make a donation, check afsp.org or Donate here!