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BELLEFONTE -- The Centre County Commissioners have proclaimed September as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month and Sept. 10 as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Day in the county.
Marisa Vicere, President/Founder of the Jana Marie Foundation, attended Tuesday's meeting to talk about the subject which is near and dear to her heart.
"As you know this is a cause that is very special to my heart. I have lost my sister and my cousin to suicide, and this is something that I feel we should be working on 365 days a year," said Vicere.
She spoke about the 2022 preliminary numbers for suicide, noting that in the United States alone there were nearly 50,000 individuals who lost their lives to suicide.
"This is about a 2.6 percent increase over last year, (this) is something that still really needs to have a lot of awareness and education around it. We know that when we can create places where people feel like they belong, that they're part of a community, where we can educate about the warning signs and resources available and where we can really focus on environments... we can reduce the number of suicides and save lives," said Vicere.
She said September is a time when the community can use their collective voices to spread awareness and education throughout the county.
The Jana Marie Foundation devotes its time year-round to "opening minds" and "saving lives" through educational programming and community mobilization to empower young people in the region. Through dialogue and creative expression, they spark conversations, build connections and promote mental well-being in their communities.
A few of these events are coming up this month.
On Sunday, Sept. 10, Worldwide Suicide Prevention and Awareness Day, there will be a candle lighting ceremony at Wasson Farm. The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a free meal catered by the State College Area School District's Culinary Arts Program, led by Chef Zach Lorber. Following the meal will be speakers, performances, music and more. The evening is designed to create public awareness, educate the community, remember those lost to suicide, give hope to the survivors and end the silence around the topic of suicide. The event will conclude with the candle lighting ceremony by Evelyn Wald.
On Friday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m., the Jana Marie Foundation is hosting the fifth annual Philosophy of Hope concert at the State Theatre to spread hope throughout the community. The concert will feature producer Ken Baxter as well as musicians such as Blue in the Face, Chris Bell, Sam Christensen, Luke Cimbala, Molly Countermine, Jes Kast, Keely Krause, John Lynch, Breanna Snyder, Rene Witzke, Brandt Snyder, Lynn Chaplin, Cathy Evangelista, Michael Lundy and more. Proceeds from this concert will benefit the Jana Marie Foundation.
You can purchase your tickets online at thestatetheatre.org/events/philosophy-of-hope-v
When Commissioner Amber Concepcion asked about resources, Vicere encouraged anyone who is struggling with their mental health to reach out to the Crisis and Suicide Lifeline at 9-8-8. It is available 24/7 with someone on the other end of the line willing to listen and provide resources.
"You can always reach out to Centre County Crisis as well, 1-800-643-5432," said Vicere.
"Knowing that this is one of the leading causes of death for young people is really heartbreaking, but organizations like yours providing access, understanding what the resources are that are out there and helping educate all of us in the community about these warning signs is really critical. Thank you for the work you're doing," said Concepcion.
Commissioner Steven Dershem asked about mental health first aid programs that they've had in the past. Vicere was happy to talk about those programs.
"We have several different varieties that we offer now. We do teen mental health first aid, which is for students in 10th, 11th or 12th grade. We'll be back in Penns Valley, State College, Bellefonte and Bald Eagle schools this fall offering that training. We also do youth mental health first aid and adult mental health first aid. We now have a rural mental health first aid that we offer as well... We are often offering those free courses and we have some coming up in October," said Vicere.
Chairman Mark Higgins thanked Vicere for everything the Jana Marie Foundation has done.
"The commissioners have tried to provide mental health services for 12 years now with almost no increase in funding. I think it's our number one priority this year at the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it needs to be prioritized throughout the Commonwealth," said Higgins.
Information about all of those programs and more are available at janamariefoundation.org.