Help Network to Host Campaign Kickoff Event

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The public is invited to join state and local mental health and community leaders for the kickoff of Help Network’s Hope in Motion campaign. 

The event will take place at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 26 in the parking lot at Covelli Centre.

The campaign’s goal is to create awareness of the new national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and to demonstrate support of prevention efforts in the Mahoning Valley.

“We want everyone to know they have the option of simply dialing 988 if they are facing a crisis or even considering suicide,” said Vince Brancaccio, Help Network CEO.

The kickoff event will feature the first public viewing of a giant display across the side of a Western Reserve Transit Authority bus. A space was set aside for signatures, and event attendees can sign it to show their support. Attendees will be encouraged to take a photo as they add their signatures to the display and share it on social media. A group photo of attendees will be taken near the bus and shared on social media.

The display and the WRTA bus will travel throughout the Valley, carrying the message that 988 is the number to call when individuals are considering suicide or facing a crisis they can’t handle alone.

“Awareness is the road that leads to prevention,” Brancaccio said. “Knowing that you can dial 988 for 24/7, free and confidential emotional support can make a huge difference.”

The Hope in Motion campaign is funded through a state grant and local supporters, including the Ross Griffin Memorial Foundation, Adsposure and WRTA.

“If people in crisis are aware that just three numbers – 988 – will connect them to someone who cares, someone who can help and, most importantly, someone who can provide hope, we have a much better chance of helping that person and preventing a tragic ending,” Brancaccio said. “That’s what Hope in Motion is all about.”

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.