One of my clients, the Kristin Brooks Hope Center is hosting the first annual IMAlive 24-7 Giving Challenge to fundraise on National Suicide Prevention Day (September 10). People across America are trying to raise $50,000 to fund the IMALive.org crisis chat service. Any donation received during National Suicide Prevention Week (September 8-14) will count towards the IMAlive 24-7 giving event.
Suicide can be a moment of terror. In their desperation many potential victims can be talked off the proverbial ledge by an IMAlive volunteer.
IMAlive volunteers like one young lady Molly have saved thousands of lives by simply helping them through the moment. The above video tells you about Molly’s experience, and how saving people’s lives changed her.
Currently, the IMAlive chat service and hotline is available to people most hours of the day, but to become truly effective we need to become available every hour of every day. If successful, our IMAlive 24-7 Giving Challenge will make the chat service available every hour of every day through August, 2014!
You can donate, or fundraise. Several bloggers have already signed up to participate, including Frank Warren and the PostSecret Community; a team led by Bob LeDrew and Ann Marie ven den Hurk in memory of Jacob Weiskopf (Team Jacob); and Team Trey, and a group consisting of Olivier Blanchard, Margie Clayman and me who are fundraising in memory of our friend Trey Pennington. Join the effort by contacting Gloria Bell (gloriakbell @ gmail . com) or me (geoffliving @ geofflivingston . com).
Teams that participate can win an 11 inch MacBook Air by raising the most dollars (Frank Warren and I are disqualified from winning due to helping KBHC with this effort). In addition, one MacBook Air will be won by a randomly selected donor after the giving day. Finally, it is expected that their will be several matches offered by the Kristin Brooks Hope Center during the giving day.
In addition, donors will win awards for individual contributions of certain levels. Included are:
- $25 Deck of Suicide Prevention Playing Cards
- $50 KBHC Gift Pack (Deck of cards, UV Sunglasses, Stress Ball, Frisbee Flyer, Blue October Tee Shirt)
- $100 Frank Warren Signed Galley Page, free eBook of Geoff Livingston’s novel Exodus
- $500 Autographed Journey T-Shirt
- $1000 Complete autographed Frank Warren book set
Individual teams may provide their own awards to donors.
Please join us, have fun, and save some lives. What do you think of suicide prevention or this fundraiser?
Photograph: IMALive’s Elena and Reese Butler accepting a GIve to the Max Day check with me and Frank Warren