Ohio H.O.P.E.S. for Franklin County LOSS

H.O.P.E.S. is an acronym for Helping Others Provide Emotional Support, which is the aim and focus of our fundraising events. We want to raise awareness about mental health resources and suicide prevention programs all over the country. Our goal is to help provide some financial assistance to organizations that provide these services to their communities.

We will be raising money at this event (taking place on October 12th, 2019) to support Franklin County LOSS. Franklin County LOSS focuses on providing postvention services to those who have lost someone to suicide. Postvention is an essential, yet often overlooked, intervention; it not only brings support to those mourning a loss, but also helps reduce the risk of imitative suicidal behavior or copycat suicide attempts. Franklin County LOSS started out in 2014 with a First Responder Program, dispatching volunteers to the scene of a suicide to support and comfort the bereaved. Since then, they have expanded the support available in the months and even years that follow a suicide loss. These include support groups, one-on-one peer support, remembrance events, and more. They offer QPR (Question, Persuade, Respond) and CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means) trainings to their community, both of which are evidence-based approaches to suicide prevention. They have also partnered with the Buckeye Firearms Association to develop suicide prevention materials specifically for the firearms community. Franklin County LOSS envisions a community of suicide loss survivors experiencing a restoration of hope and standing together for suicide awareness. To learn more about Franklin County LOSS, take some time to look through their website!