Project HELP works with dignity and compassion to ease the pain of those who have been affected by rape, violence, crime, or loss of a loved one. This happened recently, Abraham, a young man who answered the HELPline 239-262-7227/800-329-7227 at Project HELP, found himself on the line with a young woman on the verge of taking her own life. Abraham was able to use his training to talk the woman down and remain on the line with her as she traveled to the hospital to get the treatment she so desperately needed. At a moment in which the woman felt so alone, she was able to lean on a complete stranger who offered his time.

All too often with our day to day lives we tend to get caught up with our own issues and do not stop to look at the people around us. Abraham, a young man from Florida Gulf Coast University, a college that provides interns to Project HELP, spends his time doing the exact opposite. In addition to taking the Safe Talk training, a suicide prevention course offered by American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Abraham completed a total of 30 hours of online training and 8 hours of face to face training. It was the knowledge and understanding from these instructions that prepared the young man for this pivotal moment in that woman’s life.

After the event, the woman called Project HELP and said to Eileen Wesley, Executive Director of Project HELP, “The man on the HELPline saved my life.

Mental health is a serious issue in America. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 47,000 people fell victim to suicide. This makes it one of the leading causes of death in America. Project HELP is one organization that will not accept this statistic. As a growing organization, stories like the one above are becoming more prevalent. Project HELP is taking action to prevent suicide and assist survivors.