Staunton will join hundreds of other locations throughout the world to recognize International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will host Survivor Day on Saturday, November 19, at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event will include a screening of Life Journeys: Reclaiming Life after Loss, a new AFSP-produced Survivor Day documentary that traces the grief and healing journey that follows a suicide loss over time.
“Early on after my brother’s suicide, I felt like I was drowning. I remember sitting on the couch literally thinking how can the world possibly be spinning,” said K.D. “Mo” Krausman in the documentary. “If we could do anything for people new to this journey, is to kind of give them that beacon, that hope, that knowledge, that wherever they are right now, it’s going to be better.”
In addition to the documentary, the Survivor Day in Staunton will include lunch, group discussions, and additional presentations on self care and remembering loved ones. An optional art therapy collage project will also be offered later in the afternoon.
“As a loss survivor myself, I am looking forward to planning a day for others who have lost someone close to them by suicide,” said Brooke Anderson, organizer of the Staunton event and coordinator for the entire state for ISOSL days. “It will be a day of listening, discussion and understanding.”
Led by the AFSP, Survivor Day is the one day a year when people affected by suicide loss gather around the world at local events to find comfort as they share stories of healing and hope.
“Suicide can tear a black hole of sorrow in a family. But grief can also draw them closer together as they discover new aspects of themselves and their family members,” said Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer of AFSP. “With our Survivor Day events, people are able to gather to talk about the loss they experienced and find comfort in the knowledge that they are not alone.”
The keynote speaker for the Staunton event is State Senator Creigh Deeds, D-Warm Springs. He has been a tireless advocate for mental health since his son died by suicide after being denied a bed at a Virginia hospital.
The event is free and open to the public. It is for survivors of suicide loss, ages 15 and older. Lunch is provided. Registration is recommended but not required.
To learn more about Staunton’s International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, visit afsp.org/survivor_day/staunton-va.
Event Program
- 10:00 a.m. – Welcome
- 10:15 a.m. – Keynote Speaker and Presentations
- 11:00 a.m. – Lunch
- 11:45 a.m. – Screening of Life Journeys: Reclaiming Life after Loss
- 12:15 p.m. – Guided Discussion about Loss
- 1:15 p.m. – Tools for Self-Care Presentation
- 1:30 p.m. – Closing Ceremony Activity
- 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Optional Art Therapy
History of Survivor Day
In 2015, there were 330 locally organized events held throughout the U.S., Canada, and around the world.
In 1999, Sen. Harry Reid, a survivor of his father’s 1972 suicide, introduced a resolution into the U.S. Senate. With its passage, the U.S. Congress designated the Saturday before American Thanksgiving “National Survivors of Suicide Day,” a day on which friends and family of those who have died by suicide can join together for healing and support. In recognition of the fact that suicide knows no geographic or national boundaries and because Survivor Day events are organized around the world, AFSP’s program is called “International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day.”
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Chris Graham
