Community Corner
World Suicide Prevention Day Candlelighting
Representatives from NJ Hopeline (1-855-654-6735, njhopeline.com), the state’s first suicide prevention hotline, which is operated by Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, will host a candlelight ceremony in support of World Suicide Prevention Day to promote awareness, remember loved ones and stand with survivors of suicide.
Guests will share their experiences and discuss this year’s theme: “Stigma: A Major Barrier for Suicide Prevention.” Speakers include: Eric Arauz, nationally recognized behavioral health advocate, trainer and author of An American’s Resurrection;James Clementi, oldest brother of Tyler Clementi, a first-year college student who took his own life in 2010; and Linda Bean, mother of Army Sgt. Coleman Bean, who committed suicide after serving two tours of duty in Iraq. Joining them will be Lynn A. Kovich, Assistant Commissioner for the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini and Allison Blake, Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.