Alive! Mental Health Fair in Rocklin

 Rocklin, CA -The reality of depression and suicide has inspired the founder of 1-800-SUICIDE to create an exciting format for delivering a message of hope. It is called the Alive! Mental Health Fair and it is coming to Sierra College February 27th.

 The fair will present onsite student created "Post Your Own Secret" exhibit, compelling documentaries and a one hour suicide prevention training program called QPR(Question, Persuade, and Refer). There will be booths with information, therapy and local help resources as well as offering education in suicide prevention with the goal of building a more effective safety net for all students at Sierra College. The fair aims to inspire and raise awareness of alternative mental health therapies such as Graffiti Art Therapy.

 The Alive! Mental Health Fair is created through a partnership between the non-profit organization Kristin Brooks Hope Center, the founder of 1-800 SUICIDE, the National Hopeline Network and IMAlive LLC. 1-800 SUICIDE, which provides a life-saving service that is private and confidential for people in need. The callers are routed directly to the closest crisis center in their immediate area so that quick referrals to behavioral health services and other supports can be offered. Since 1998, 1-800-SUICIDE has received over 6 million calls and rescued more than 10,000 individuals who had already initiated suicide plans.

 The keynote speaker for the Alive! Mental Health Fair & Suicide Prevention Tour, Reese Butler, personally understands the struggles those who are affected by mental health issues face on a daily basis. "It has taken 14 years to have the chance to do a college suicide prevention tour in California focusing on mental health issues which was my original goal after my wife Kristin died by suicide in 1998 in Vallejo CA" explains Reese. "The goal was delayed by the massive undertaking of building the National Hopeline Network of over 200 crisis centers to answer the calls from 1-800-SUICIDE. It's great to finally be able to deliver a positive, progressive-thinking mental health fair for an important cause which will make a direct impact and help people in desperate situations that need it the most."

"In moments of bravery and confusion and honesty, people turn to 1-800-SUICIDE--over six million of them," Reese goes on to say. "The folks at the Hopeline Centers have been answering those calls for over 14 years, picking up the phone when it's mattered most. To be able to use the popularity of PostSecret to attract students to the fair and hopefully get educated as to the warning signs is an honor for me."

Recently, the Hope Center recorded a Public Service announcement for the Alive! Mental Health Fair, click here to view: www.alivefair.com. 

About the National Hopeline Network 1-800 SUICIDE (784-2433) and the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (KBHC): After losing his wife, Kristin Brooks to suicide in 1998, Reese Butler founded the Kristin Brooks Hope Center (KBHC), which created the National Hopeline Network 1-800 SUICIDE. In 2000, Reese gained the support of the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and obtained more than seven million dollars to expand and support the National Hopeline Network which is comprised of 200 community crisis centers in 48 states. Callers in crisis to 1800-SUICIDE are routed to the closest crisis center in their immediate area so that quick referrals to behavioral health services and other supports can be offered. Since 1998, 1-800-SUICIDE has received more than 5 million calls and rescued more than 10,000 individuals who had already initiated suicide plans.

 Sierra College will also sponsor a Community Agency Resource Fair with over 20 partners, Suicide Prevention and Intervention trainings facilitated by Gold Country Chaplaincy, and Live performances by Lyrics Legends Leaders, We will promote breakout sessions on current mental wellness topics such as; stress management, dating violence prevention, helping friends in crisis, and speakers from numerous Placer County and Sacramento County mental health agencies. 

For more information about the organization and its programs, visit: www.hopeline.com