Hello!

My name is Beth Rabena and I am a third grade teacher located in Reading,PA.

September 8, 2022 was a day that changed my life forever. Being a teacher for over 27 years, I have seen a lot of things. What happened that day, I could never have imagined. One of my students, Roman Young, took his own life at the age of 9. The immense pain, sadness and guilt I felt was gut wrenching.

Ever since, I have been trying to find a way to honor Roman's memory while addressing the mental health crisis we have going on with our children. There are minimal to no resources available to address this topic. From this, "Last Day" was created.

I am proud to say that I have written my very first children's book. Following my heart, soul and a guardian angel, I submitted my manuscript to several publishing companies. I was shocked, that each one who received it, loved it. After much thinking, I chose to go with Blue Balloon Books. The editor who contacted me was especially touched by the content of my story because she has family member who dealt with suicidal thoughts and mental health struggles when they were young.

Publishing a book is no easy task and comes with a price. This is where I need your help.

I am looking for donations to put towards the publishing costs of my book. My ultimate goal is to retire from teaching in the next two years and take this book and myself around the country and share its message. I need to make a difference in this world and help our children. Help our schools, Help parents who are dealing with the tragic loss of their children due to suicide.

I believe in this book and the impact it is going to have on so many. Please help me make this a reality.

I will share the whole process with you all! For now, it is the editing phase. Next, comes picking an illustrator and designing the book. This is the most exciting journey I have ever chosen to follow.

Please consider donating. Any amount will help me! If you are unable to donate, please follow my journey and spread the word about the book. Help keep Roman's memory alive and make mental health a topic we can talk about .

The cost to make this happen is $8,000. This price includes everything and anything. Including promoting the book when it is done! Any donation amount will help. I am just so grateful to be able to share this exciting news. I am here to make an impact.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for passing this along to everyone you know!

Be kind. Give hugs. Listen. Our world needs LOVE.

Beth