May 5, 2025
Sarnia Lambton Suicide Prevention Committee Calls for New Support to Continue Critical Community Work
As Mental Health Week approaches this month, the Sarnia Lambton Suicide Prevention Committee (SLSPC) is sharing an update on its work and asking for help to keep it going.
The Committee has been part of our community for more than 30 years. Since 2016, our work has been guided by a dedicated Coordinator, who helps move our goals forward. That role has helped us make meaningful progress in suicide education, prevention, and postvention support.
The Coordinator of the committee organizes life-saving training, builds community partnerships, and helps people who’ve lost someone to suicide. With this leadership, we’ve trained more than 3,000 community members in safeTALK. Our trainer team has grown from one to eight individuals. We’ve also supported over 60 individuals through the Suicide Loss Support group and its partner program, Side by Side.
These services reach people across Sarnia-Lambton, from all walks of life. Suicide can touch anyone—and support must be there when it does. For every person who dies by suicide, as many as 135 people can be impacted by the loss (source:Cerel et al, 2018 from 988.ca).
In 2016, we were grateful to receive funding from United Way to support this work. That support allowed us to build a strong foundation. While we were not selected for funding this year, we understand the growing pressure to address urgent community needs such as housing and homelessness. We remain hopeful for future opportunities to work with United Way again.
In the meantime, we’re facing a serious challenge. Without new financial support, we won’t be able to maintain our Coordinator role past June 2025.
We’ve already received help from generous local partners. A recent $15,500 donation from Talk for Tamara will allow us to continue safeTALK training, host a youth-focused mental health forum, purchase awareness signage, and attend the national conference of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention in May.
To build on this momentum, we’re now working toward establishing non-profit status. This will open the door to grant applications, fundraising, and the ability to issue tax receipts for donations. But we need help now to bridge the gap and keep this work moving.
Do you believe in a suicide-safer Sarnia-Lambton? Are you able to support the work that’s already saving lives?
We are thankful for the community groups—Talk for Tamara, Mike Harvey Foundation, Project Mental Wellness, and Stand for Steph—who continue to walk alongside us. We are also thankful to our committee members, which include representatives from The Centre, Lambton Public Health, Ontario Health at Home, Rebound, St. Clair Child and Youth Services, Lambton County Developmental Services, Pathways Health Centre for Children, Rapids Family Health Team, Canadian Mental Health Association, among many others.
If you or your organization would like to support SLSPC, please reach out.
Let’s keep this work going. Together.
Media Contacts:
Liz Page – [email protected]
Katie Joy – [email protected]
