Bristol County (MA) Suicide Loss Survivor continues “Your Life Matters” Lawn Sign Campaign

TAUNTON, MA, UNITED STATES, June 28, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Suicide Education and Prevention community advocate and activist Steven Palm continues his efforts with transitioning the “Creating Hope Through Action” theme into a visible and tangible campaign. For the second year, The Kacie Project, a Bristol County MA based non-profit, is funding lawn signs with a supportive message to all who may be struggling mentally or emotionally:

“Your Life Matters. Three simple and powerful words,” noted Bristol County Suicide Prevention Coalition Director Annemarie Matulis. Several signs were also distributed during the recent annual Massachusetts Conference for Suicide Prevention in May to be placed across the state and in Rhode Island.

On his web page https://www.thekacieproject.org/ Steve notes, “My world was forever changed on July 17, 2014, when my precious daughter Kacie Elizabeth Palm died by suicide at the age of 14.

“Kacie was kind and considerate. She was generous. She was affectionate and greeted everyone with a hug. She loved to laugh and be goofy. She had a family that she loved and loved her. She had lots of friends. She is deeply missed.

“The Kacie Project was born out of the Bristol County Regional Suicide Prevention Coalition. Early on in my loss I was able to utilize the grief support services that are offered by the coalition. It was at the Kitchen Table Conversation for Suicide loss Survivors where I met many others that had lost a loved one to suicide. I found it very helpful to be able to talk with others that knew exactly what I was going through. It was through this continuing healing process that I started to volunteer my time to suicide prevention. I have learned that talking about suicide is a big part of prevention. Sharing the story of my family’s loss is something that I need to do.

“We need to add mental health to the large list of things that we talk to our children about. For the past several years, The Kacie Project has been raising funds to purchase and donate a series of children’s social emotional wellness books to schools, organizations, and individuals locally and nationally. Our hope is that these books make it easy to talk about emotions from the very beginning of a child’s life.

“For suicide loss survivors, grief can be all consuming and exhausting. We also want to be there for others touched by suicide. Peer to peer grief support was and is extremely important to me. Now that COVID restrictions have been lifted, we hope to resume in-person sessions for the Kitchen Table Conversation’s grief support workshops as well as the peer-to-peer Re-Energize & Re-Connect wellness workshops for loss survivors, ideation and attempt survivors as well as their impacted family & friends. Based on feedback, we will continue doing these workshops virtually also.”

If you are interested in placing one of the signs on your personal or organizational property, the Bristol County Suicide Prevention Coalition, in collaboration with the Kacie Project, the Impacted Family & Friends Movement and Greater Taunton Community Services is holding an informational overview on June 29th at the Stone Church (First Congregational Church) at 485 S. Main St., Raynham MA of the various workshops and other resources that are available to the communities. In addition to Steve, other facilitators will include Tracey Pacheco Medeiros, Joseph Marques and Annemarie Matulis.

Steve will have lawn signs with him and will be there from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Steve can be reached via email: [email protected] or cell phone (508) 813-2120

Annemarie Matulis
A Voice at the Table
+1 5089227278
[email protected]
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