On September 21, 2024, as part of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, NAMI Contra Costa hosted the 4th Annual “Know the Signs: Remembering Those We’ve Lost” event at Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch. The gathering aimed to foster awareness, healing, and community support in East County.
The event began with interfaith prayers from Pastor Faye, Chaplain Priscilla, and Tiffany Wang, followed by a moment of silence for those lost to suicide. Reverend Bill Kruse offered words of hope, uplifting the crowd.
Under bright, sunny skies by the lagoon, Stanford University student Alexi Lindeman shared a heartfelt tribute to her sister Andy, whose memory was honored through her story of lived experience. FaithNet coordinators Greg Beckner, Ashley Ciullo, and Gigi Crowder followed with a lineup of multigenerational diverse speakers, all sharing personal testimonies. Names of loved ones lost, particularly youth, were highlighted throughout the moving tributes, as the forum opened for community participation.
Jesse Robbins, a NAMI Contra Costa TAY staff member who lost his brother, joined community members in courageously sharing their stories of loss, as the community engaged in remembrance and healing.
The second half of the event spotlighted the ongoing work in suicide awareness and most importantly, prevention. NAMI CC’s Transitional Age Youth team outlined strategies from the “Ending the Silence” program, while student leaders like Megan Suh from Dougherty Valley H.S. and her team as well as Cherry Wang from Heritage shared their efforts from the NAMI On Campus Clubs. Savannah Crippen, representing Bright Life Kids from Brightline, introduced free youth resources, while community members including Dominique King who is running for a council seat in Antioch and a NAMI CC Student Ambassador, Representative, spoke about championing advocacy for suicide prevention in Antioch and beyond.
Additional speakers also included Kristin Lobos and her Co-Worker, Faith from the A3-Miles Hall Community Crisis Hub, who delivered an emotional address, and Kaitlyn Coughran from the Contra Costa Crisis Center, who discussed crisis de-escalation techniques. NAMI CC further highlighted the importance of recognizing the signs of mental health crises and promoted the 988 Crisis Line.
The event offered moments of comfort through grief counselors, origami paper cranes symbolizing hope, and creative activities like a rock-painting station. The day concluded with a symbolic dove release as members of our staff, volunteers, families and others honored loved ones lost too soon and embraced the themes of hope and healing.